A Common Disaster
by EllieBear75
Summary: Sequel to "Could You Be Loved". Logan and Veronica learn to navigate marriage and being partners. However, someone from their past begins to interfere with their happiness.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes: Posting this early for all my fellow Canadian Marshmallows. Happy Canada Day!**

Veronica sat quietly at her desk, nibbling from a long sleeve of Saltines. She had back-to-back appointments with clients all day and didn't get a chance to grab something for lunch. Not that she felt like lunch anyhow. It would just come up on her later, ruining a perfectly good meal.

The intercom on her phone buzzed. She wrinkled her nose at it. Hopefully Sandy didn't have another client lined up...she just wanted to go upstairs and have a nap. Hesitantly, she pressed the button. "Yes, Sandy?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Ms. Mars, but your baby daddy is on hold on Line One for you." Came a perky voice through the receiver.

Veronica sighed. "Did Logan tell you to say that?" She asked.

"Yes, he did Ms. Mars." And Sandy giggled. Their receptionist was ecstatic when they got married, but seemed crushed that she wasn't going to change her name to "Echolls", commenting that it was much more romantic to have the same last name and how would people know they were married if they didn't share a name. Logan decided then that every time he called, he would come up with a new name to announce himself, just to reinforce that they were, in fact, a cute married couple. Among them were: husband, soul mate, love of her life, sweet babboo, and (more recently) baby daddy.

"Thank you Sandy." She said and pressed Line One. "Hello baby daddy." She cooed into the receiver.

"Hey!" Came Logan's voice. "How is my baby mama doing?"

Veronica looked down at her little stomach. It was pushing against the waistband of her pants with all its tiny might. "I popped again overnight. I had to wear my black yoga capri pants to the office because they were the only thing that fit." She said, running her hand over her billowing blouse. "And my boobs are trying to escape my bra."

Logan gave a throaty laugh. "Fuck, I miss you." He said. "Why don't you go out and get some new clothes tonight?" He suggested. "You remember that you have money now, right?"

"I know. I'm just in denial. The book said I shouldn't be this big yet." She pouted.

"Well, you are only 5' 2"...where else is that baby going to go?" Teased Logan.

"Yeah. But 12 weeks? I was hoping for at least one more spin in my bikini." She said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Bobcat, you can still rock a bikini, especially with those pregnancy curves." He growled into the phone.

Veronica laughed and leaned her elbows on the desk. "So...when are you getting home? You know... funny thing about pregnancy...my breasts are not only huge...but they are soooooo sensitive..." She purred back to him.

Logan let out a groan. "Fuck the $50,000 bounty...I'm coming home tonight!"

Veronica leaned back in her chair, resting her hand gently on her bump. "Don't bother. I'm tired and nauseous. I'd either barf on you, or fall asleep under you, if we had sex tonight."

"Point taken." He replied. "I'll probably be another day. I'm just waiting by the border for him to try and cross. He thinks a fake I.D. will be enough to hide, so by no means a criminal mastermind."

Veronica started to rub circles around her belly. "Well, come home soon. WE miss you." She said quietly.

There was a moment of silence as Logan composed himself. "I miss you both too. I love you."

Veronica felt an overwhelming amount of emotion suddenly and silently cursed her hormones. "I love you too. Come back to us, safe and sound." She choked out.

"I will. Have a good night." He said, his voice thick with emotion.

"You too. Bye." She replied and hung up before she tried to squeeze herself through the phone just to be near him.

Veronica stuffed more crackers in her mouth. She looked at the clock. It was just before 3 p.m. She mentally calculated how much more she had to do today and decided she could be in her pajamas, watching Netflix, eating ice cream out of the carton by at least 4:30, if she buckled down.

Turning to the file in front of her, she began to make notes for Mac when the intercom buzzed again. She let out a groan and answered it. "Hi Sandy."

"Hello again, Ms. Mars. Sorry to bother you, but I have a walk-in client who says he knows you."

Veronica furrowed her brow. "What is his name?"

"Anthony Jackson." Sandy lowered her voice. "He has an Australian accent." She whispered.

Veronica was so confused. She didn't know anyone by that name and she definitely did not know any Australians. Surely she wasn't experiencing 'pregnancy brain' yet. "Okaaayyy...send him in." She put down the phone and stood to brush the cracked crumbs off her outfit. She turned to look out the window, seeing her reflection in the glass, checking to make sure she looked presentable for whomever was about to visit.

There was a small knock and the door opened slowly. Veronica turned to greet the visitor. But instead of words, her mouth dropped open at the sight of the man that entered.

The tall, dark haired man smiled and took two confident steps into the room, stopping at the edge of her desk. "Hello Veronica." He said, a hint of an Australian lilt in his voice.

Veronica felt shaky. She reached out and gripped the top of her chair to steady herself. When she finally found her words, they came out as a whisper across her lips. "Duncan Kane."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Notes**

 ***trigger warning: discussion of rape (canon)**

 **Thanks for everyone who liked my teaser Chapter 1. Now that it's summer, I'm not getting as much time to write, so my updates are going to be slower. Hope you stick with me!**

"What are you doing here?" Veronica asked hesitantly. She could feel every part of her body tense as she fought to stay upright. Instinctually, she moved her hand off the chair and placed it protectively on top of her baby bump.

Duncan's eyes moved from her face to her stomach and back to her face again. "I'm home. For good." He said quietly, his face turning serious. "May I sit?"

Veronica nodded and she slid herself into her chair, grateful to get off her feet. Duncan dropped himself into the chair across from her. They stared at each other for a moment; a bell jar falling over the two. Veronica inspected Duncan; his skin was darker and he had deep lines from being out in the sun. His solid jaw had lost it's youthful fullness and now it was chiselled and lean. But it was his eyes that sent a shiver through Veronica; it was like looking at glass, cold and hollow. Was it from a life on the run? Being a single parent all these years? Or had his tragic family finally brought him down too?

When he began talking suddenly, Veronica jumped a bit in her chair. "So I guess congratulations are in order. I saw online that you and Logan got married a few months back."

Logan. His name snapped her out of her trance. Her touchstone; her safe place. Logan. "Yes. We only had twenty people at our wedding and somehow the paparazzi still managed to get a photo."

Duncan nodded. "Well, it was good to see you both looking so happy." An expression passed over his face that Veronica couldn't place before a tight smile appeared. "I set up alerts on my computer for Neptune when I got established so I could at least feel like I was near 'home'. And so I could cringe every time Madison Sinclair was mentioned in a society column."

Veronica couldn't help but let out a small laugh. In the years since High School, Madison had married rich and had tried to become part of the Neptune social scene. However, all the photos of her in the society section of the newspaper made her look like she was photo bombing her own fundraisers and functions. A long time ago...she must have really pissed off someone at the Neptune Register.

"There was a great one last week where she hosted a garden party and the only photo of her was her hat and forehead peeking out behind someone taller. But they tagged her anyway." Veronica giggled, letting her guard down for a moment before dropping her voice again. "So tell me, how is Lilly. She must be...how old?"

This time when he smiled his eyes lit up, making Veronica feel more at ease. "Lilly is now 15 years old and she is just an amazing kid! She sings, she dances, she surfs. She's kind and smart and funny." He looked down at the table. "I can't believe some days that she is mine." He looked up at Veronica softly. "I know that you may be worried about seeing me after...what happened with my family...but please don't be." He sat back in his chair and rested his hands in his lap. "If I had stayed with Jake and Celeste, I am positive that Lilly would have just...She would have become another rich, spoiled brat." He sighed. "Truth of the matter was that C.W. and my dad had negotiated a deal for us to come back months ago. But in Australia, we lived a simple life. I bought a surf shop and we lived in the apartment above it. Lilly went to a good school with nice friends. We had a great life."

Veronica could feel the emotion rising in her. "I'm so glad to hear that." She said. "Meg would be happy to know she is turning out so well."

Duncan's smile disappeared as he nodded. "I hope it will continue here. We are moving back to Neptune permanently so I can manage Kane Enterprises now that my dad..." His voice trailing.

Veronica closed her eyes momentarily as she flashed to Jake's lifeless body, Celeste poised to shoot again. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again. "I'm sorry for your loss." She whispered.

Duncan shrugged. "Is it pathetic to say I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner? They used to think we couldn't hear them argue, but my mother ruined many, many vases over the years, throwing them at my dad. How do you not hear that?" His expression softened a little as he looked at Veronica. "Even if I could have stayed, I wouldn't have wanted Lilly around that."

Veronica rubbed her belly gently behind the table and looked down. This baby was going to get a very different childhood than she and Logan experienced. "I guess we all just want what's best for our children." She said.

Duncan's eyes got bigger. "You mean you're..." He said hesitantly.

Veronica smiled. She felt her eyes get a bit watery as she spoke. "Yes. I'm pregnant. 12 weeks this week." She suddenly felt the urge to wrap her bump in bubble wrap.

"Wow." Duncan intoned. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I never thought you wanted kids."

Veronica shrugged. "I didn't. Until Logan and I got together again. And then suddenly I couldn't wait to get pregnant."

"So this was planned." He said, a caustic tone making its way into his voice.

Veronica raised an eyebrow. Her mood changed drastically. The little shift in his tone, and she wanted to go for the jugular. "Well, sort of planned." She offered breezily waiving her hand in the air dramatically. "We were going to try this year, but then, on our way to our honeymoon, the airline lost my luggage with the birth-control. Combine that with a hell of a lot of sex and...whoops!" She pointed her index fingers in the air and dropped them to her belly.

Duncan frowned. He obviously thought it was too much information, but Veronica was sure it was just the right amount. There was an awkward silence as Duncan decided how to handle the situation. Veronica saw her opportunity and took it. "Well.." She started and rose from her seat. "...it was good seeing you Duncan, but I am exhausted and really need to get home for a nap. You know...pregnancy and all..." She walked past him and opened her office door. "I guess Logan and I will see you around."

Duncan stood, his eyes clouded over again. He walked to the door, deciding what to do in his head. When he reached her, he placed his hand gently on her shoulder. Veronica felt like it was covered in knives. "I will see you around. Tell Logan I said 'Hello.'" He said. She nodded up at him and he released her, skulking from the room. She watched him walk straight past Sandy and Mac at the front desk, without even looking at them, and slip out the front door.

Mac's neck snapped towards Veronica. "Was that..." She hissed down the hallway.

Veronica looked at her friend and let out a deep sigh. "It was. That, ladies, was the elusive Duncan Kane."

Mac came down the hall and followed Veronica back into her office. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Veronica leaned against her desk and contemplated the question. "No. I'm not. I'm tired and hungry and emotionally drained."

Mac walked around the desk and gathered Veronica's briefcase and jacket. She then walked back to her friend. "Come on, baby mama. Let's get you upstairs and tucked in to bed. Can't have you falling asleep here."

Veronica smiled at her friend. "Normally, I would fight you on this but I'm too tired. Let's go." She said and the two women made there way upstairs together.

 _It took Veronica a moment to realize where she was. Groggily, she sat up in the bed and looked around the room. Guest room. Shelly Pomeroy's. Looking down, she was still in a white dress, the straps broken. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She put her hand down on her stomach. It started to move. Looking down again, she watched as it grew bigger and bigger before her eyes._

 _"No No No...not this..." She began to whisper, tears coming to her eyes. She heard a noise and looked up. Duncan was standing in the doorway, staring down at her._

 _"I always knew you would want to have my baby." He said seriously and started to walk towards her._

 _Veronica shoved her body back against the headboard and held up her hands. "No! I don't want this. I don't want you. I don't want your baby. Stay away from me!" She began screaming, hoping someone would hear._

 _Duncan sat on the edge of the bed and reached out his hand. "But Veronica, last night was so beautiful. You didn't make a sound. You just let me do whatever I wanted to, just like you knew you should. And look...it was so perfect we conceived a baby!" He said in earnest, reaching out to try and touch her._

 _She slapped at his hand. "I didn't want to sleep with you last night. I don't want your baby. Please leave me alone." She hid her face in her hands. "I want Logan. I want our baby. Please. I want to go home._

 _"I want to go home." She slowly slid down and lay on the bed, curling herself in a protective ball._

 _"Logan..." She cried quietly._

 _"Our baby..."_

"Veronica." Came a voice beside her. It wasn't Logan, but it sounded familiar. Safe. She opened her eyes and there was Mac, crouched beside her as Veronica lay on the couch.

"Mac." She croaked and threw her arms around her; Veronica's entire body was shaking. Mac shifted herself to take the weight of her friend. "I was so scared, Mac."

"It was just a dream, Veronica. You're okay." She said and patted her back reassuringly.

Veronica let herself be comforted for a minute more before she sat up slowly. Last she remembered, Mac had insisted on staying with her and the two decided to "girls night" it with pizza, ice cream, and Pitch Perfect on Netflix. She must have fallen asleep sometime just after the opening credits. Mac rocked back on her knees away from Veronica slightly. "Do you want me to call Logan to come home?" She asked quietly.

Veronica shook her head. "I'll be fine. Duncan showing up was just kind of..." She tapered off, not knowing the exact words to describe what she was feeling.

"Off-putting?" Mac volunteered. "Creepy? Scary? Disturbing? Stop me when I get it."

Veronica rubbed her face with her hands to rid herself of the tears on her face. She sat up and sat cross-legged. "All of the above?"

Mac crawled up next to her and put her arm around her. "Not everyday your ex-boyfriend-slash-rapist traipses through your office door."

Veronica's head snapped toward Mac. "Why would you..." She started.

Mac raised her hand, stopping her words at her lips. "Veronica, I love you. You are my best friend. But when you told me the story, years ago, of how Duncan had sex with you when you were unconscious, I did think you were delusional for not thinking he raped you. Just the fact that he could remember what happened and you didn't, told me all I needed to know." She reached out and took her hand. "I know that you try and compartmentalize what happened to you with Cassidy, but it's pretty obvious from your reaction today that Duncan freaks you out, on a very subliminal level."

For the second time today, Veronica sat in shock. When she heard the words repeated back to her, she began to realize the magnitude of the revelation. "But why would I date him if he raped me?" She asked herself out loud.

Mac shrugged and looked her friend in the eye. "Why do people in abusive relationships stay with their partners? Why do abused children still spend the holidays with their abusive families when they are adults? Why do the people who hire us to find out if their spouse is cheating, stay with the spouse long after the infidelity?" She responded. "Only those people know why. It's their baggage to carry."

Veronica felt tears coming to her eyes again. "Promise you won't say anything to anyone." She said quietly.

Mac leaned over and hugged her again. "Who am I going to tell? Wallace? He and I talked about this years ago, and he came to the same conclusion I did. Logan? That's up to you to talk to him about." She answered and pulled out of the hug.

"What about Sandy?" Veronica sniffed and wiped her eyes.

Mac laughed. "When Sandy and I are alone we don't talk about you. Unless it's to complain about what a terrible boss you are, Bond."

Veronica snorted through her tears. "Well, I'm glad my employees are happy together."

"We are happy." She said with a big smile. "Thanks for finding me my first serious girlfriend."

"No problem. Just don't break up. Our office is too small for two ex's to work together." Veronica chided her friend. She reached for Mac's hand again. "Thank you for staying with me this evening. I hate to be so needy but is there any way you can stay the night? I'd kind of feel better if someone was around."

Mac reached out and patted Veronica's belly. "No problem. I'll help take care of you and the Peanut while Logan is gone. Just let me call Sandy to tell her and get her to bring a change of my clothes to work tomorrow."

"Thank you." She said quietly. "This little kid is going to be pretty lucky to get you as an Aunty."

Mac hopped off the couch and walked to her purse for her phone. She smiled as she dialled her phone number and Sandy answered. Slowly, she began pacing to the far end of the loft, so she could have a private conversation with her girlfriend.

Veronica's stomach twisted as she thought about Mac's words. Her mind wandered back to Duncan and the sheer terror she felt in seeing him again. She had to admit, that there was a part of her that was glad to see him leave, all those years ago. When he left, she put all of her thoughts and emotions that were part of their relationship, in a little pink box, and she buried it deep down inside of her. She kept no mementoes or trinkets from him, tossing them all in the trash soon after he left. She was content to wipe him from her mind. But now, the pink box opened and lo and behold, it was overflowing with ugliness.

She closed her eyes, concentrating on her breathing momentarily, in an effort to refocus her thoughts. Logan. The baby. Their family. Their home. Their business. Her life was going so well. She wasn't going to let Duncan back in to ruin things.

Mac flopped down beside her on the couch, snapping her out of her head. "Sandy said she will come over tomorrow morning and make breakfast for us, since she knows we would both just eat cereal and drink coffee."

Veronica snorted a laugh. "She's right. And I don't even get the 'coffee' part anymore."

Mac patted Veronica's shoulder. "We'd better tuck you and baby in for the night, so you are happy and relaxed again for tomorrow." She stood up and offered her hand to Veronica. Feeling like she weighed a thousand pounds, Veronica rose slowly and let her friend drag her off to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Notes: *trigger warning: discussion of rape (canon)**

Logan pulled the giant freight elevator doors open dramatically. "HEY HONEY, I'M HOME!" He bellowed into the loft.

Mac and Sandy waived from the kitchen island where they were eating their breakfast. "Hi honey!" They called back in unison and laughed.

Logan made a face and stepped out of the lift. He slammed the doors closed and kicked off his biker boots as he walked towards them. "Where's Veronica?" He said, concern in his voice.

Mac gestured towards the bathroom. "Barfing. Sandy made us all breakfast but something didn't agree with Peanut, so up it all came." She said and stuffed a big helping of pancakes in her mouth.

Logan sighed. "The morning sickness should wear off soon I hope. We still haven't found anything she can eat for breakfast that won't come back up on her." He looked at Veronica's plate and grabbed a half eaten pancake from it. He folded it like a taco and shoved it in his mouth.

"Did you get your guy, boss?" Sandy asked and took a sip of her coffee.

Logan nodded. "Yeah. He didn't put up a fight either. All in all an easy 50K." He looked towards the bathroom. "It may be the last one for a while though. I don't like leaving Veronica and the baby." He said quietly.

Mac reached out and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. I stayed over and helped her out last night. She had a rough day."

Logan frowned and turned back to Mac. "Why? What happened?"

Mac looked at Sandy. Sandy looked at Logan. Mac looked back at Logan and sighed, dropping her hand from his shoulder. "Fine. Duncan is back in town. And he dropped by the office to see her."

Mac watched as Logan's eyes changed. A cloud passed through them and he mood shifted. "What did he do?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"He didn't do anything. But just his presence freaked her out a bit." Mac looked towards the bathroom. "I slept over on the couch and Sandy brought me a change of clothes and fed us this morning."

Logan's knee started to bounce, channelling his agitation. "How was she last night?"

"Maybe you should ask her that." Mac said quietly and stood up. "Sandy and I will go downstairs and open up the office. We'll see you guys when you're ready."

Logan stood as well, looking between the women. "Thanks guys. I really appreciate you looking out for her." He took off his jacket and lay it over the stool, making himself more comfortable.

"Good luck." Said Mac, her eyes full of sympathy. She gestured to Sandy for them to go. Sandy came around and gave Logam a tight smile, not sure what tp say. She took her girlfriends hand and together they made their way out of the loft.

Logan approached the bathroom door cautiously. He put his palm on the wood for a moment, pushing his anger down deep so Veronica wouldn't see it. When he was sure he was composed enough to see her, he knocked gently. "Veronica?" He called through the doorway as he entered.

He was greeted by the sight of his wife laying on the floor, her long summer nightgown spread out around her, a towel rolled under her head for support. She opened her eyes and forced a smile. "Hey." She called weakly.

He walked next to her and lay down beside her; a position he was getting good at. "Hey. Pancakes were a reject?" He said and gently brushed her sweaty hair off her forehead. "Or rough night in general?" He pressed.

She closed her eyes and dropped her hands to her belly, cradling the bump. "Rough day. Rough night. Rough morning." She said, trying to push aside her emotions.

Logan dropped his hand to meet hers on her stomach. "The pregnancy book says that morning sickness can be made worse with stress. What happened?"

Veronica took a breath through her teeth as not to begin throwing up again. "Duncan showed up at the office. He's back in town. To stay. For good. With Lilly." She exhaled and kept her eyes closed, focusing on her breathing.

Logan felt his anger rise and he fought again to keep it in check. "What did he say? Did he upset you?" He probed, wondering if he needed to pay a visit to his old 'friend' later today.

"He didn't say anything that upset me. Actually, that's not true...he said he didn't think I wanted kids and was surprised I was having your baby." She confided, opening her eyes and turning her head slightly to look at Logan.

Her husband dug his finger nails into his palm in an effort not to stand up and punch the wall. "What business is it of his whether we have kids or not. I didn't see Meg handing him a '#1 Dad' shirt to wear around school when he knocked her up." He growled.

"Logan..." Veronica began before he cut her off.

"I'm sorry. The guy just has a lot of nerve showing up and making comments about our lives when he doesn't even know us anymore." Logan ranted.

She sighed deeply and felt her stomach turn. Veronica closed her eyes again, trying to keep herself from throwing up from the anxiety. "Please, for me...can we just leave it alone?" Tears sprang through her lids. "I just want to pretend he isn't here and go on with our lives, okay?" She raised one hand from her belly and wiped her face.

Logan reached out and brushed her hair with his fingers. "I'm sorry I got upset. I just hate seeing you like this. I'll leave it alone...I promise." He kissed the side of her head again. "But you have to let me in. We need to talk about how you are feeling. Bottling it up isn't good for you or the baby." He said and slid closer to her so she was now pressed against him slightly.

Feeling him near, she rolled on her side with a groan and tucked herself into his arms. He heard her suck air through her teeth again as she rode a wave of nausea and he tenderly rubbed her back until it subsided. After the barfy feeling subsided, she finally spoke. "I keep dreaming about the night...the night of Shelly's party." She said in a whisper. "Terrible dreams where I'm pregnant after..." She fought her brain for control of her words. "...after Duncan raped me."

Every muscle in Logan's body tightened. She was finally calling it what it was, what he had always thought had happened. Rape. The word hung over their heads like a weight, threatening to crush them both. He held her protectively. "Are you ready to admit to yourself that is what happened?" He asked softly.

Veronica nodded into his body. "I don't remember anything. He remembered it all in detail. How could I have said 'yes'? But worse...how could I have believed him?" She said, tears escaping again. "When I saw him again, I was actually scared. It was like a switch in my brain turned on and released all this anxiety and fear into me." Her small body shook as she cried in his arms.

Logan put his head down and planted his face in her hair. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never should have given him some GHB that night. He never would have done this to you if I didn't." He murmured, hoping to god that she wouldn't lash out at him.

But there was no anger. Instead she pulled back to look him in the eye. "Not a smart move, but you're not to blame. Sane people don't get stoned and think it's a good idea to rape someone. It may lower their resistance, but the idea - the want or drive - still needs to be there." She rubbed her eyes again, clearing out the tears. "And the truth of the matter is, Duncan just saw an opportunity and took it, just like Cassidy did."

Logan let out a deep breath and pulled her even closer to him. "Are you going to be alright?" He asked.

Veronica shifted and gently hoisted herself to a seated position. She crossed her legs so her little belly hung down. Even though she was puffy from crying and her breath was horrendous, Logan was sure she was most beautiful sitting just like that. "I'll be fine. For now. But I reserve the right to not be fine at some other point." She said and looked down at her stomach. "For now, I need a shower and a big slice of leftover pizza. The cheese and crust seemed to keep the Peanut satisfied last night."

Logan chuckled and rose from the floor to stand. He offered his hand to Veronica and hoisted her up. When she joined him, he kissed her nose. "You shower. I'll clean up breakfast and reheat some pizza for you." He said as he held her hand.

Veronica reached up and touched Logan's face. He hadn't shaved before coming home and he had a wonderful shadow of stubble beginning to fill his face. It always made Veronica remember when she found him hiding out in Mrs. Navarro's house; his beard, tattoos, boxers... She licked her lips slightly, her nausea miraculously disappearing. She raised up on her toes to kiss him, but he dodged her at the last minute.

"Barf breath." He muttered and scrunched his nose.

She covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry." She said through her skin. "I got lost in a memory. Thinking about you is my default 'happy place'."

Logan kissed her forehand again. "Would you be very offended of I asked you to press pause on your 'happy place' memory until AFTER you brush your teeth?" He asked sheepishly.

She laughed behind her hand and closed her eyes, conjuring up the image of Logan in his thick, shaggy beard again. She squinted and then opened her eyes. "Okay. Image on 'pause'. I'm going for a shower AND I will brush my teeth."

"See. It's the simple things that make a marriage work." He responded and he turned and left the room.

Veronica wasted no time in showering, making sure to wash any residual puke from her hair, and brushing her teeth. She emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a large towel, now sparkling fresh and ready for the day. She found Logan sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through the newspaper and eating her leftover pancakes. A plate with two slices of pizza and a tall glass of water sat across from him. She slipped herself onto her chair and reached for the water, drinking half the glass in one big gulp. The pizza actually smelled delicious and she wasted no time diving into it. Across the table, Logan gave her a goofy smile.

"Wh-ut?" She asked, her mouth full of pizza.

"Nothing." He said, leaning his elbow on the table and his face in his hand. "Just basking in the joy of domestic bliss." She rolled her eyes at him and took another bite of her pizza. "So, I was thinking...that's the last of the bounty hunting for me for a while." He started, his smile dropping slightly.

Veronica frowned. "Why? You love it. The thrill of the chase, and all that stuff." She replied.

Logan shrugged. "I think I'm done. All I could think about this time was you and the baby. Besides, nothing gives me a thrill like you do, Bobcat." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Veronica stuffed the last of the pizza in her mouth and shook her head. The man had found her smelling of puke, laying on the floor of a bathroom and he still found her desirable. The first few weeks of her pregnancy made her feel terrible. She was hoping that, as her first trimester ended, she would get back to feeling better about herself.

"Well, you know...I may have to work at keeping things 'thrilling' for you." She said in a husky voice. The pizza seemed to squelch her nausea and the carbs made her feel almost euphoric. She stood from her chair and began walking towards the bed. As she walked, she dropped her towel. Giving her hips a bigger swivel, she continued on her path through the loft, completely naked. She heard the sound of Logan pushing his chair back, wood against wood, and smiled to herself.

By the time she was at the foot of the bed, he had caught up behind her. Pressing his front to her back, he snaked one hand down her front, cupping her pussy gently. The other hand crossed to take a handful of her now swollen breast. She let out a contented grown and dropped her head. He bent and began sucking on her neck. She felt the scratch of his stubble on her skin and giggled as it tickled her skin. His middle finger sought out her clit, through her wet folds and he began to rub it gently, knowing by now that everything on her was extra-sensitive. His hand changed on her breast to cup it from underneath, allowing him to take her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, twisting and turning it gently. Veronica leaned against him and began to move her hips, creating the friction she wanted. He bucked his hips in response to her and she felt his hard-on through his jeans, digging into her. Lolling her head back, her caught her lips and she continued to ride him until she came, calling his name.

When she felt she had her footing again, she broke from his embrace and gave him a wicked smile. She climbed onto the bed on all fours, leaving her ass high in her air, over the edge. She flicked her hair up and looked over her shoulder with devil eyes. Logan gave her a lecherous look and began undoing his belt. He opened his button-fly jeans slowly, knowing the wait was making her antsy. He moved closer to her beautiful, white, round bottom and caressed one cheek with the palm of his hand. She watched as he dropped his pants and boxer-briefs around his knees, taking his cock in his hand and positioning it at her lips. Gently, he spread her folds, giving her the tip of his dick. She wiggled teasingly and was rewarded with a deep thrust, burying himself inside of her.

Since getting pregnant, this was Veronica's favourite position and she expertly rocked back and forth on her husband. She felt like she could do this for hours, and Logan wished she would. Slowly, she brought her knees together, tightening herself around him, and creating a wonderful friction deep inside of her. Logan let lose a string of profanities and began thrusting harder into her. She felt him begin to shake and she let go, pulsing against him as she felt him come deep in her core.

Logan pulled out and she dropped onto her side on the bed. He fumbled off the rest of his clothes and dropped down next to her. Both of them were breathing hard.

She reached out and rubbed the stubble on his face. "But if you quit bounty hunting, how will we have 'I missed you' sex?" She teased.

He wiped the sweat off his forehand and laughed. "We're about to be parents. From what I've heard, we'll be having 'we haven't had sex in weeks' sex from now on."

Veronica nodded and laughed. "That's okay...we'll just enjoy it while we can."

Logan put his hand lovingly on her belly; it was his new favorite way to lay with her. They stayed like that for a few moments, lost in their thoughts of what was in store for them both in the coming months. Logan's eyes began to cloud, his emotions bubbling up. "I won't let him hurt you again." He said quietly, catching her gaze. "I won't let him hurt either of you. If we have to pack up and move to our own island, I won't let Duncan come between us again."

Veronica shuffled closer to him. "He can't hurt us. He doesn't realize that we are more than husband and wife...we are partners. He can't come between that."

Logan wrapped himself around her protectively. He wanted to believe her, but his instincts were telling him otherwise.


	4. Chapter 4

Veronica and Logan made it down to the office sooner than anyone expected to see them. Mac and Sandy smiled at each other knowingly when they saw the two walk through the office, still holding hands, then disappear into their individual offices. Veronica felt better than she had been in weeks and focused on making notes in her case files for online data to be obtained by Mac and surveillance that needed to be done by Logan. Since the moment the stick turned blue, Logan had banned Veronica from anything remotely resembling field work, and she grudgingly agreed. Logan was equally as busy filing his paperwork for the bounty he collected, catching up on information Mac had obtained for him on some cases, and looking over the information on new cases Veronica accepted while he was away. The entire morning sped by so quickly that when Sandy knocked quietly on Logan's door, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Mr. Echolls?" She said quietly, her face full of concern.

Logan frowned. Sandy could turn anything into sunshine and rainbows. When she was upset, it was never good. "What's wrong, Sandy?" He questioned hesitantly.

She put her hand in the room and gestured for him to come with her. He rose from his chair and was about to say something when she put a finger to her lips. "Shhh. I don't want to hear." She whispered and shook her head towards Veronica's door. It was closed, but the office was so quiet, their voices carried. She gestured for him to follow her to the lobby and he did without saying a word.

As they approached, he quickly saw what had Sandy so vexed. A big bouquet of at least four-dozen white and pink roses was in a giant vase on her desk. Mac was standing next to them looking as through she wanted to throw them out the window. She held an envelope at arms length out to Logan. It was opened and the note inside was sticking out slightly. "Give you one guess what shit-head sent these." She hissed at Logan.

Logan took a deep breath to try and control himself. Feeling his anger rising, he snatched the paper from Mac and opened it. He read silently.

"Veronica, Congratulations on your pregnancy. I know you will be a wonderful mother. It was great catching up with you yesterday. I hope to see you soon. Duncan."

Logan was furious. He wanted nothing more than to light the flowers on fire and send them back to Duncan, ablaze. Just as he was about to do just that, he heard a gasp from behind him. Everyone turned to see Veronica standing there, a handful of files clutched to her body, giving herself some protection from the pink monstrosity in the room.

"Are those from..." She began, looking at Logan. She saw him gripping the envelope in his fist and produced her palm, silently asking him to give it over. He hesitated at first, but then she spoke. "Please. Give me the note, Logan." Her tone, quiet but firm, with a hint of slightly terrifying, and it made him realize their kids were in for a world of trouble one day. He handed her the paper without a further fight.

Veronica flipped the paper open with one hand and read it silently. She looked up at the group of people staring at her and rolled her eyes. "Duncan always did have a flair for the over-dramatic gesture." She intoned. Staring at the flowers, she shook her head. "Sandy, can I ask you for something wayyyyy outside of your job description?"

Sandy stepped forward, eager to help. "Yes, Ms. Mars! What do you need?"

"I need you to take these flowers downstairs to Mille and John; I think they would love to have them in their cafe." She directed. Veronica balled up the note in her fist and tossed it towards the garbage near Sandy's desk; making a small groan when she missed the basket.

Sandy clapped her hands together with glee. "Ohhhhh...what a great idea! They will love them!"

"I'll go with you and open the doors." Added Mac. "And I'll grab lunch for all of us. How does that sound?"

Veronica forced a small smile. "That sound great. Thank you guys." She said. Lowering her head, she beat a hasty retreat back to her office and shut the door.

Logan watched her body language as she left. When she was finally tucked away in her office, he let lose and slammed his hand on the outer wall of the lobby. "Fuck!" He growled, unable to contain his anger anymore.

Mac held up her hands like she was confronting a wild animal. "You take care of her. Sandy and I will take care of the flowers. Just...be cool." She said. Logan threw his old friend a terrible look, but started to relax as her words sunk in.

"Fine. You're right. Thanks for getting rid of the flowers." His expression starting to soften. "Reimburse yourself from petty cash for lunch. Write it off a 'Meeting' expense. And nothing with onions or peppers for Veronica."

She gave him a thumbs up. "No problem, boss man." Turning to Sandy she bowed towards the door. "Shall we, my lady?"

Sandy picked up the heavy vase and flowers with a slight groan. "We shall!" She said confidently and the two made their way out the door.

Logan took a moment to gather his emotions as he walked down the hallway towards Veronica's office. When he reached the door, he opened it slowly and poked his head in. Veronica was sitting in her chair, her head was down on her arms, her hair creating a tent over her. She was breathing hard. Logan came and sat down across from her and reached out to pet her hair. "What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

Veronica turned her head to the side and flicked her hair out of the way. "Feeling light headed." She mumbled.

Logan reached over and put his fingers on her wrist, checking her pulse. He counted out the time in his head, frowning as he concentrated on the beats. "Your blood pressure seems high. You need to calm down...remember the doctor warned us about that."

Veronica kept her eyes closed. "That's only if it's always high. We have our next appointment with the doctor next week. She can check it again then."

Logan slipped his hand from her wrist and wrapped it around her hand. "This is the second time in two days that Duncan has upset you." He muttered.

Veronica lifted her head and looked at her husband sadly. "Please don't do anything; it will just escalate the problem. I really should have eaten by now and the flowers were just stupid." She commented. "If he thinks that a bunch of flowers will win my favour, he's delusional."

"Yes, but his delusions are upsetting you and I want it to stop." He responded.

Veronica sat back in her chair and folded her hands over her belly. "So what do you do? Get into a pissing contest with him? He does something you don't like; you go after him. He gets upset and retaliates. You go after him for the retaliation. Where does it end? And when does our child get dragged into it? Let Duncan have his delusions. I won't respond and he'll stop, and that will be the end of it."

Logan sat back in his chair and crossed his hands over his chest, visibly upset by what Veronica said. "And what if he doesn't stop?"

Veronica let out a sigh. "Then I'll tall to him; not you. We have someone besides ourselves we have to think about in all this." She looked down at her bump lovingly.

Logan didn't like this plan at all. He opened his mouth to speak but decided that, for once in his life, maybe not saying anything was the best idea. There was nothing he could do or say that wasn't going to make Veronica more upset, so for the moment, he let it drop.

A knock came on the door and an arm poked through with a bag at the end. "Millie loved the flowers. Food for the baby is on her, she said." Mac shook the bag in the air and Logan got out of his chair to retrieve it for Veronica.

"Thanks Mac." Veronica's mood suddenly on an upswing.

Logan peeked around the door and Mac smiled at him. "Thanks Mac." He said quietly. She nodded, seeing the tension and sadness in his eyes. He closed the door and placed the bag on the desk, silently going through the contents. All the words that were said hung in the room, thick as fog. There was so much he wanted to say but couldn't, wouldn't risk putting more pressure and anxiety on his wife. All of the gloom and sadness came to a halt quickly when he realizes what was written on Veronica's lunch. He smiled into the bag and then back at Veronica with a goofy grin.

"I think these are yours." He said and handed her two packages; a salad and a large wrapped sandwich. Both were clearly marked "FOR BABY! " in grease crayon.

Veronica couldn't help but giggle at the lunch. "I think Millie is excited for us." She said and took her food. Her tummy did a little flip at the idea of food, but she decided it was actually the baby doing a dance of joy that it was being fed.

Logan grabbed the remaining items out of the bag and sat down in his chair again. When he flipped the huge wrap sandwich around to open, he saw that Millie had written "Daddy!" on the wrapper. Tears sprung to Logan's eyes as he realized, for the first time, that was what someone would call him, one day.

A fear gripped him like never before at the thought of losing that future, with his wife and his child. Veronica looked up from her sandwich to see him staring at the words, tears running down his cheeks. She stood from her chair and came around the desk. Stopping beside him, she bent over and wrapped herself around his shoulders and neck.

"He can't hurt us; not if we don't let him. Everything will be fine." She whispered into his ear. "It just will. I know it will."

Logan closed his eyes to get control of his emotions once more. She pulled back and smiled at him. "Look...tomorrow is Sunday. Why don't we start our 'weekend' by going to the beach. You can surf. I can lay around and admire you surfing..." She teased.

Logan reached up and kissed her softly. "Sounds like the perfect medicine for both of us." He answered. Veronica brushed his brown hair with her fingers and then walked back to her seat. They both finished their lunch while discussing plans for their relaxing day.

Sunday morning had Veronica feeling better than she had in weeks. Logan had gone to the grocery store the night before, and made her 'homemade' breadsticks from frozen pizza dough, for breakfast. It was the first morning she didn't feel sick as a dog and kept her breakfast in her stomach, and she sailed around the loft like an earth-mother-goddess in a long summer dress. After breakfast, they happily gathered their things and made their way to the beach. It was still early enough that Logan's favourite surf spot was still abandoned and Veronica made herself comfortable in a low beach chair, cosy sweater, and "The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" while Logan headed out to catch some waves. Logan had been out for about 30 minutes when Veronica heard someone approach from behind her.

"Veronica?" Came the familiar voice. A familiar voice that made her skin crawl.

She turned to see Duncan, standing in his wet suit, carrying his surf board. Next to him stood the ghost of Meg Manning. Lilly, no longer the baby Veronica saw in her head, was standing next to her father in a colourful wetsuit, carrying a board as well. And while Duncan still gave her the shivers, Veronica's curiosity in Lilly made her stand and greet them.

"Wow. Duncan. I'm surprised to see you." She said, never taking her eyes off Lilly. If someone had morphed a photo of 'her' Lilly with a photo of Meg, they would have got this new incarnation of Lilly. Her hair was long and blond; her face bright and perky.

Duncan was beaming. "Well, Lilly's heard so much about my time surfing out here that I had to show her." He turned to his daughter. "Lilly, this is my old friend Veronica."

Lilly had been standing quietly to the side, looking shyly at Veronica until that point. Veronica extended her hand to the girl and she smiled a bit and shook it. "Nice to meet you." She said in a thick Australian accent. The sound of her voice took Veronica aback, momentarily forgetting the girl grew up far away from Neptune.

"Is that Logan out there?" Duncan asked, interrupting Veronica's thoughts.

Veronica looked out over the water to see Logan at the top of a wave, his tall body totally in control in out-of-control nature. Even now, the fact that he could accomplish this act never ceased to amaze her. "Yep." She said proudly. "That's my guy."

Duncan frowned a little at her and turned his attention back to the ocean. The little group watched as Logan expertly rode the wave, coming to an end close to the shoreline. Veronica's stomach tightened as Duncan began to move across the sand towards her husband. Lilly stayed beside Veronica watching with quiet interest. Logan pulled himself and his board from the water and shook his hair with his hand, changing his gaze towards Veronica with a big smile on his face. She watched nervously as he realized someone was walking towards him. Darkness overtook his expression as he realized who was approaching.

Helplessly, she watched as the men met in the sand. Duncan stopped and said something to Logan and Logan looked past him to Veronica before responding. Logan's poker face was on, as Veronica watched him try not to show any emotion to the situation. Soon, they were both headed back to the girls, Duncan matching Logan's stride.

When they got within reach, Logan aggressively planted his board in the sand and went over to Veronica. He kissed her forehand and wrapped one arm around her waist so it snaked around her belly.

They both watched Duncan closely as he watched them. He was clearly agitated by their affection and stepped closer to Lilly. "Logan, this is my daughter Lilly." He announced and put his arm around her shoulder.

Logan noticed a little cringe from Lilly at the contact from her father, and filed it away in his head. "Nice to meet you." He said to the girl with a nod.

Lilly smiled widely at the handsome surfer looking at her, her entire face lighting up. "Nice to meet you too. You look so much like the pictures Dad has at home...when you were both my age."

Veronica couldn't help but smirk. Duncan's face turned from shocked to annoyance. Lilly was obviously in the "raging ball of hormones" stage of being a normal teen; also much like they were at her age. Logan laughed out loud. "Well, obviously your Dad didn't keep any of me with shaggy hair, braces, and acne because those would have you run screaming into the ocean."

Veronica looked up at Logan with so much love she thought she would break apart. "You were still cute with the braces." She said reassuringly.

Logan kissed the top of her head affectionately. "Glad you think so." He glanced up at Duncan who had dropped his arm from his daughter and was now glaring at the couple. Sometimes joy was the best way to fight evil. Logan was practically giddy at the idea that their happiness made Duncan squirm. He let go of Veronica and walked up to Duncan, slapping him on the back a little too hard. "Come on, DK...let's see if those Australian waves improved your surfing at all." He turned and winked at Veronica, then grabbed his board and strode towards the water. It took Duncan a beat to catch up as he grabbed his board and followed Logan to the edge.

Veronica turned to Lilly who was watching the two men begin to paddle into the surf. "Why don't you come and sit with me." She said and touched Lilly's shoulder gently. Lilly twitched at her touch but recovered in a moment.

"Sure." She said and made her way to Veronica's spot. She watched as Veronica maneuvered herself into her chair and then sat down near her.

They both turned their focus on the Duncan and Logan, who were now out in the deep water, sitting on their boards next to each other. Veronica realized they were talking, like they used to, while they waited to catch a wave. She had a sinking feeling.

Duncan paddled closer to Logan and was about to open his mouth when Logan spoke first. "I'm going to say this plain and clear so you understand me, DK...stay the fuck away from my wife and child."

Duncan was taken aback and he stammered. "I don't know what you mean..." He started but Logan interjected.

"Look, I brought you out here because I didn't want to have to beat you in front of your daughter, but if you keep playing head games with Veronica, I will find you and put a deep hurt on you. Do you understand?"

Duncan's face turned red with rage. "She was mine first! I was the first person she loved, not you! But if it hadn't been for you, she would have come with me to Australia and we would have been a family." He spat.

Logan retaliated. "Raping her doesn't make her 'yours', you asshole. Stay away from her or, so help me, I will find a way to run you back out of town."

He watched as a terrifying smile crossed Duncan's face. "Be careful what you say. The last person to threaten my family ended up naked in a hotel room with a bullet in the back of his head."

All the blood drained from Logan's face. "You." He croaked, suddenly gasping for breath.

Duncan smirked. "For now, I'll let you have Veronica, old 'friend'; mainly because she is pregnant. But one day, I may come calling for her and there will be nothing you can do to stop me." He then bent over his board and started paddling to catch a wave that was fast approaching.

Logan hesitated for a moment, his mind bombarded by words and thoughts and feelings. He looked over his shoulder and at the last possible moment, he stood on his board and rode the wave back to the beach.

On the shore, Veronica tried to distract herself from her anxiety by talking with Lilly. "So Lilly...how do you like Neptune so far?"

The girl shrugged. "It's weird. For so long it's only been me and Dad. Now we have staff and security. Dad hired a tutor for me so I can adjust to your school system and next year, when I turn 16, he said I'll go to Neptune High, like you guys did."

Veronica let out a sigh as she remembered high school momentarily. Giving her head a shake, she threw off the memories of that shit-show. "It seems like several lifetimes ago." She said quietly.

Lilly hesitantly moved closer to Veronica. "Did you know my mom?" She asked hesitantly.

Veronica looked at the girl kindly. "Your mother was one of the nicest people I ever knew. She wanted nothing but for you to be loved and have a good life. It was her dying wish."

Lilly nodded and looked out at the ocean. "He says I remind him of her." She said, a darkness covering the young girl's face.

Veronica instincts were on fire. Something about the way Lilly said the words put her on edge. "You do look like her a lot." She said. "But you are still your own person." She added.

"Am I?" Said Lilly. She noticed her father climbing out of the water and she jumped up and away from Veronica.

Veronica saw Logan come in after Duncan and knew something was wrong. He wore his emotions on his face and in his body. Duncan reached the group first and walked directly up to Lilly. "Grab your board, honey. The waves aren't that good here. We can hop in the car and catch some a little further down the beach." He turned to Veronica and nodded. "See you around." He said, throwing her a creepy smile. A very confused Lilly grabbed her board and wordlessly followed her father, giving Veronica an unhappy wave as she left.

Veronica stood and ran towards Logan, who was slowly walking down the beach as not to catch up to Duncan and Lilly. When she met him, his face was filled with horror. She reached up and touched his cheek but he didn't move. "Grab your stuff." He said. "We're going home."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Notes**

 **WARNING: This is the last chapter before things get dark. Really dark.** **As a reader of FanFic, I know that sometimes I am in the mood for dark, angst ridden stories, and sometimes I am all about fluffy fun. This is not going to be fluffy from here on out. So feel free to bail...I won't be offended.**

Veronica sensed something in Logan she hadn't seen in a while: fear. The entire car ride home was silent. Logan couldn't bring himself to tell Veronica what Duncan said, and Veronica couldn't bring herself to ask what had happened.

As soon as the elevator opened into the loft, Logan made a beeline for the bed. Veronica watched from the entry way to see what he would do. Still in his gym shorts and a muscle shirt, she thought he would shower and change from the beach. Instead, he lay on the ground next to their bed and shimmied partially under the frame. He emerged with one suitcase, then the next, and proceeded to launch both on their bed with a thud, then work to unzip them.

Veronica started moving closer to him. As she approached, he turned and pointed at the suitcase next to him at the foot of the bed. "Start packing. We're leaving Neptune." He said and moved to their armour, throwing the doors open to begin gathering clothes.

"Logan." She said calmly. "What happened with Duncan?"

Logan stopped and looked at her, his eyes wild with adrenaline. "He's crazy. We have to leave before he does something to us, or I do something to him."

Veronica kept her cool, in stark contrast to her husband. She walked closer and stepped between him and his suitcase. Placing her hands on his chest, she felt his heart racing. "What did he say?"

Logan's leg twitched like he wanted to run from her. He couldn't make eye contact as he glanced hurridly around the loft. All he could think about what he could shove in his car before they drove away forever. "I can't." He whispered. "We have to go. Just please believe me when I say it's what's best for us all." He tried to move around her but she dodged and caught him with her arms, wrapping them around him and pressing herself against his body. They stayed like this for a moment before she spoke again.  
"Please. We need to talk about this before we do anything. Not knowing what happened is scaring me more than knowing. Logan...tell me what happened." Veronica murmured against his chest. By now her heart was matching his, beat for beat.

Logan closed his eyes and let out a breath to try and calm himself. "He killed my dad. He's the one who ordered him killed; not Jake." He said, his emotions starting to bubble to the surface. "I know that Aaron killed Lilly and I know that he was an abusive son-of-a-bitch but still...Duncan killed my dad."

Veronica was in shock. Never in a million years did she think that Duncan could have been the one who killed Aaron. "How do you know?" She stammered.

"He told me. He out and out told me as a warning to stay out of his way." Logan wrapped his arms around Veronica tightly, bracing himself against the thought of being separated from her.

She didn't want to know the answer, but she asked it anyway. "Stay out of his way for what?" She prodded.

"For you." Logan choked out the words. "He told me he was going to get you back. The only thing that was stopping him is the fact that you are pregnant wit our baby."

Veronica felt her knees buckle a bit and Logan caught her in his arms. He gently lowered the both of them to the ground and folded her up in his lap, trying to tuck her as close to him as possible. "Oh my god." She gasped and began to cry. Terror ripped through her like a knife. The idea that Duncan would be, could be, so obsessed with her that he would hurt Logan or their baby just to get to her made her feel weak.

Logan began rocking her gently. "That's why we have to go. We have to leave and never come back. All these years, he's been obsessing about you and now you are in his range and he thinks he has a chance." He kissed her on the top of the head. "And I have no idea how to stop him. Other than kill him and go to prison for the rest of my life."

Veronica was silent, her tears subsiding in shock. For the first time in a long time, she had no idea what to do. She began stroking her belly as she thought. Logan must have felt her movement between them and he reached his hand around to put it on the side of her stomach. "Why did he say he wouldn't do anything while I was pregnant?" She questioned.

Logan buried his head in her hair. His thoughts made him sick to his stomach. "I don't know. The most I could come up with is he wants you to carry HIS child, not mine. He mentioned that if it wasn't for me, you and him and Lilly would be a 'family'. I don't think our child factored into his twisted plan."

Veronica closed her eyes and pushed down the feeling that she wanted to throw up. "So basically his plan is: get you out of the picture, kidnap me, rape me, force me to carry his child, and we all live happily ever after?"

She felt him squeeze her tightly against him. "I'm sure, in his head, it's much more romantic, but yes, that's probably it."

Her body let out an involuntary shiver. Duncan had finally gone over the edge. They just needed to make sure he didn't take them with him. She pulled back her head and looked at her husband. There was a sadness to him that she hadn't seen since his mother died. "I will admit your idea to run away does have merit, however, now that he can travel again, he can probably find us. And then we would be sitting ducks, wherever we are."

Logan nodded. Once again, his wife was right. "So you have a plan?"

Veronica scrunched up her face. "No. Not yet. But he said himself, he's not planning on doing anything until after this baby is born, so that gives us time." Logan loosened his grip on her and she slipped off his lap to face him. "We need to gather the troops. The more people in our circle that know, and can help, will keep us safer. I'll call my dad. We'll get him, Alicia, Wallace, Mac and Sandy over to his place tonight. Strictly covert operations...over pizza."

Logan's breathing eased a bit at the idea of bringing in help. "Then what?"

Veronica's eyes lit up as the thought came to her. "Then, we work to expose Duncan for the monster he is, and ship him out of our lives, once and for all."

Veronica and Logan pulled up to Keith and Alicia's home after everyone else had arrived. The events of the morning had taken a toll on Veronica, and she spent the better part of the afternoon taking a very long nap. Logan was too keyed up to sleep, and so he spent his time contacting everyone to get them together, gathering some background on Duncan's activities in Australia, and working on the elements to help put together a broader plan of action. When Veronica awoke suddenly from a bad dream, he climbed into bed with her as comfort, and lay quietly, with her wrapped in his arms, when she fell back to sleep for another hour. He spent his time next to her running through the long list of things they had been through together and enjoying the stillness of their bodies next to each other. When she finally woke, they had to hustle to get ready to go and found themselves unusually late for Sunday dinner.

When they entered the house, there was a warm applause from their family. The pizza Logan had ordered arrived before them and Veronica made a small stack of her comfort food on a plate before dropping herself in a large chair in the living room. Mama Alicia began buzzing around the couple, making sure they were well fed and hydrated before any "serious" talk started.

When a gentle hum of familiar conversation began to subside, Keith stood and addressed the group. "Logan gave me a bit of a heads up about why we are all here tonight. For the sake of security, I want to ask that everyone turn off their cell phones and deposit them, along with any purses, in the spare room."

Wallace frowned. "So not just a family dinner then?" He said and stood up to take his cell out of his back pocket.

Keith shook his head. "Afraid not, Son. But once we are done, Logan will fill us all in."

Wallace nodded at his step-father as he passed by to drop off his cell. Mac and Sandy both retrieved their purses and turned off their cells, then Mac went and deposited both in the room. Veronica turned off hers and handed it to Logan along with her purse, and he dropped the lot in the room. As added precaution, he threw a blanket over the pile of electronics just before shutting the door to the bedroom and joining the group. Surveying the room, he walked over to Veronica's chair and leaned on the thick arm.

"First, let me say thank you to everyone for coming. I know the covert tactics are a bit over the top, but we can't be too careful right now. Second, what I am about to ask you for help with is pretty big, so if at any point you don't think you want a part of it, you can leave, no problem, no hard feelings." Began Logan. He felt Veronica reach out and take one of his hands as they waited for a response.

Alicia was the first to speak. "We are all family here, Logan. You both have our support in anyway we can help."

Logan smiled slightly at Alicia. "Thank you, Alicia. But this may get ugly and I want everyone to be prepared."

"What is it son? What's wrong?" Prodded Keith.

Logan too a deep breath and began his explanation. "Duncan is back. And he is obsessed with Veronica. He's shown up twice – once at work and today at the beach – and sent her flowers. It made her really uncomfortable and when I confronted him, he basically told me that his end game was to be with her, with me out of the picture."

Wallace scowled. "He's talking out of his ass. He can't come between you two."

Logan shook his head. "No. This is different. He said that the only reason he didn't act already is because Veronica is pregnant. He has this sick fantasy of him and Lilly and Veronica being a 'family'; and me and our baby don't factor in to it."

Keith stood, clearly agitated by the information, and walked behind the furniture, pacing. "Did he threaten you or Veronica or the baby with physical violence?" He asked.

Logan finally exhaled and gathered himself for the emotional tsunami. "Yes; he threatened me. He basically said I had better watch out, if I didn't want to end up with a bullet in my head, like Aaron."

Sandy emitted a deep gasp and grabbed Mac's hand. Mac's mouth dropped open and she stammered. "He's the one who killed Aaron?"

Logan nodded and looked down at Veronica. She was watching him with deep, sad eyes. "Yes. It was probably a contract killing, but he called the shots. He told me as much. And the fact that he actually told me that he had my father killed tells me he thinks he can operate with impunity."

Logan looked up to see Keith pacing faster, a sure sigh he was thinking. Alicia looked up to her husband and back to Logan. "But why is he so obsessed with Veronica? He has a child and a life now. Why does he need to bother the both of you?"

This time it was Veronica who spoke. "He says that I am 'his' because I was with him before I was ever with Logan. He thinks if it wasn't for Logan, I would have run off to Australia with him all those years ago."

Wallace made a sputtering sound. "Is he insane? He has spent the past 15 years thinking you were 'his'? Because you dated for a while in high school?"

Veronica lowered her head and closed her eyes. Digging her fingers into Logan's palm, she steadied herself for her next words. She never looked up as she spoke. "No. He feels I am 'his' because he had sex with me first. He raped me while I was unconscious at a party in high school."

The air dropped out of the room at Veronica's revelation. When she lifted her head and opened her eyes everyone was frozen in their spots. She turned to her father who had stopped behind Alicia's chair. He was holding on to the back of it, with his head down, trying to regain his composure. She looked back at Logan for support. He reached out and ran his palm over her head, then bent and kissed her crown lovingly.

Keith looked up to witness the tenderness between the two and finally spoke. "So our plan tonight is how we are going to kill him?" He said, trying to keep control. Alicia rose and walked around to her husband, gently putting her hands on his. She felt his body shaking as he tried to stay calm, in light of what was being revealed.

All eyes turned to Logan. "No. As much as I would like to, that is not the plan." He surveyed the crowd. "The plan is to keep him under 24 hour surveillance. With his father and mother dead, there is no one but Clarence Weidmen to hold him in check. When he told me he killed my dad, he actually looked proud of himself. This is not a man that is playing with a full deck anymore."

Another silence fell as everyone processed Logan's words. Mac broke the silence in a quiet voice. 'Veronica, is this what you think is best too?"

Veronica looked up at Logan and then to Mac. "It's the only way. Either that, or we leave Neptune and never look back." She turned to her father and step-mother. "But that would mean our baby wouldn't know it's wonderful grandparents." She turned to Wallace. "Or its cool uncle." She turned to Mac and Sandy. "Or its awesome aunties." Tears began to chock her as she spoke. "I don't want Duncan to take away my home. He's taken away enough from me. I'm not letting him take my husband and child." As she finished speaking, tears began to fall freely.

Keith moved from his spot and rushed to kneel in front of his daughter. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and began rocking her back and forth. "I'm sorry I didn't know. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from him. But I will protect you now. You and Logan and the baby will be safe...I promise." He said, tears springing to his eyes as well.

Veronica let go of Logan's hand and wrapped her arms around her father. "Please. Just promise me you won't do anything foolish. If something happened to you because of him..." She couldn't entertain the idea of anything happening to her dad.

Keith pulled back and kissed her on the forehead affectionately. She was still his baby, even if she was in her thirties and having her own baby. "I promise. Nothing stupid." He looked up at Logan with a knowing glance, silently telling him not to do anything stupid either.

Wiping the tears from his face, Keith rose and stepped in front of the group. He clapped his hands together. "Right then. If we are doing this, I'm the lead from here on in. Everything that happens, happens from here so Duncan is unable to track us. He will be watching the loft and Mars Investigations. And family coming and going from here won't attract attention." He stopped and looked at his wife. She nodded her support and he continued. "First thing we need is to know his itinerary for the next few days so we can plan to sneak in and bug his house." He turned to Veronica and Logan. "No talking about this at home until we do a sweep for bugs in your loft and office." Keith turned and pointed at the Mac. "Mac, I need you to hack into Duncan's and Clarence Weidmen's schedules and tell me if there are any times they are out together. When we get a day they are gone, we will hack into the system and set off the fire alarm. I have an old friend who owes me many favours, working for the Neptune fire department. Wallace, you will be our trusty fire fighter who will go room to room planting bugs. When everything is set, we will monitor him on an 18 hour rotation from here. Veronica and Logan will be left off the rotation as not to arouse suspicion of their whereabouts for long periods of time." Keith stopped talking to see everyone staring at him with their mouth open. "What?" He asked.

Logan gave a little laugh. "I'm sorry, but that was amazing." He said. "You just pulled an entire plan out of your...head." He remarked.

Keith shook his finger at his son-in-law. "I was a deputy, then a Sherriff, then a private investigator, and now a crime writer. I can come up with a plan for every occasion. It's instinctual."

Mac put her fingers together and stretched them in front of her to crack her knuckles. "Well, let's hammer out some more details tonight and then get started. I can begin hacking as soon as I get home so nothing is traced back to Mars Investigations."

Keith smiled and pointed at her. "Now that's the initiative we need!" He said and smiled.

Alicia went into full mom mode. "Logan, Veronica, I'll make up the guest room so our can stay here tonight. It may be a late night and you need your rest, Veronica." She looked over at her husband lovingly. "And I will make some coffee for you, Keith. Just to keep those wits about you." She said with a wink.

The living room became abuzz with conversation as Keith outlined things in more depth. Veronica sat quietly and looked around, slightly overwhelmed by all the support. She looked down at her round tummy and rubbed it gently. "This is your family, sweetheart. We are so lucky to have them."

Around midnight, Logan and Veronica found themselves laying together on the queen sized bed in the guest room. Alicia lent Veronica a billowing nightgown to sleep in, and Logan lay on top of the covers in his boxer-briefs. They were both staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

"Can we just hide here for a few years?" Said Veronica suddenly. "It's safe. It's cosy. And Alicia will feed us and help us look after a newborn."

Logan smiled. "Perfect plan. We'll tell them tomorrow. Duncan would never suspect two grown adults, moving back in with their parents. It's brilliant!"

Veronica giggled hysterically at the thought of them living with her family, like some bad '90's sitcom. "God, I need a good laugh. I feel like all the happiness in the world has drained out of me."

Logan rolled towards her. "I'd tickle you but I don't want you to barf on me." He teased.

She rolled towards him. "Maybe it's all the pizza dough or maybe it's the timing, but I haven't been nauseous in almost a day."

He brushed a hair from her forehead gently. "Good. Hopefully this is the end of the morning sickness and you are entering the second...and best...trimester."

Veronica frowned. "Why is it the best?"

Logan wiggled his eyebrows at her. "The pregnancy book says that lots of women get VERY horny in their fourth month of pregnancy. I'm hoping you are going to be one of those women."

She wiggled her eyebrows back at him. "Maybe I am..." She said and reached over for a long, passionate kiss from him.

Logan pulled her closer, pressing his body against hers. She could feel his hard cock through his shorts and she responded by throwing one of her legs around his waist. Suddenly, he pulled back. "Wait!" He whispered. "We're right next to your dad's room!"

She gave him a sinful grin. "Then you have to be very quiet. No screaming my name." She said and went in for a deeper kiss while she reached between them to cup his balls through the fabric covering them.

A small moan of mutual pleasure filled the room. Then another. And then a louder one. Veronica pulled out of the kiss for a moment. The groan happened again. The couple looked at each other in horror and then looked at the wall that separated their room from her parents. Finally, they heard a knocking sound and some quieter moaning until finally the wall emitted a tiny shriek. "Oh my god, Keith! Yes!"

Veronica threw her leg off of Logan, horror on her face. Logan grabbed the pillow from behind his head and covered his face with it, muffling the sound of his hysterical laughter. Veronica looked at her husband and started to guffaw, holding her hand over her mouth. When she couldn't contain it any more, she dove under his pillow to join him.

Logan shifted so he was facing her again and kissed the tip of her nose. 'Still feel like fooling around?" He asked gleefully.

Her eyes danced as she smiled back at him under the pillow fort. "Nope!"

He laughed and threw the pillow off of them. "Didn't think so." He responded and pulled her into a giant bear hug. "Good to know, that your parents are still frisky...you know...at their age."

Veronica gave her husband a small kiss. "Don't worry, Sexy; I will still be frisky for you when we are old, too."

Logan reciprocated her kiss. "Ditto." He said and they happily fell asleep, wrapped together for the night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Notes**

 **Grab a Kleenex and try to refrain from reading in public, lest you be caught with tears in your soup. The angst is about to begin.**

The next few days seemed like a blur to Veronica. The morning after their planning meeting, Logan and Keith swept the loft and their office for bugs. Finding one planted by Duncan under the lip of Veronica's desk, Logan took great satisfaction in dropping the listening device in the toilet, pissing on it, then flushing it down the Neptune sewer system. All other areas were clean, and Logan and Veronica were able to resume normal business hours the next day.

Mac had spent her day off hacking into every computer system the Kane's owned and came up with a date and time, that Friday afternoon, when Duncan and Weidmen would be in a Kane Software board meeting for most of the afternoon. She and Keith then set about outfitting his office for surveillance. Having picked up a few things from Mac over the years, Sandy took over some of the online investigations that needed to be done for clients. Wallace even spent the night trapped in a car with Logan, doing surveillance for another case, so he wouldn't be alone. And Alicia stayed with Veronica for "girls night" so she wouldn't be alone while Logan was on assignment.

Veronica and Logan tried to keep up their normal lives as best they could. They were both very glad Thursday morning when they got to play hooky and go to Veronica's OB/GYN appointment together.

Veronica sat on the examining table, swinging her legs at the ankles. Logan sat across from her in an office chair, reading all the various posters featuring women's reproductive organs, the development of the foetus, and pregnancy care tips. Neither one was saying a word.

Dr. Roberts burst though the door suddenly, jarring the couple out of their individual thoughts. "Ms. Mars. Mr. Echolls. Sorry for the delay. I was over at the hospital, in a delivery." She said and sat down on a rolling stool. She was still in her pink hospital scrubs, her dark hair pulled back in a bun and her glasses perched on the end of her nose. She pulled a tape measure from her desk drawer and wheeled herself over to Veronica. "Lay down on the table, please. Pull up your shirt and shimmy your pants down past your stomach." She instructed Veronica. Veronica did as she was told as Dr. Roberts continued to talk. "How are things? How is the pregnancy going?" She asked and stood up over Veronica.

"Things are good." Veronica replied. "My morning sickness stopped a few days ago. I'm feeling good." Dr. Roberts pulled the measuring tape over her belly from her pubic bone to her belly button and then to her diaphragm.

"Ummm..Doctor Roberts. Veronica has been a little stressed lately and her blood pressure has been high." Logan interjected, ratting out his wife. Veronica turned her head and scowled.

Dr. Roberts went back to her chart and marked down measurements she made. Looking further down the chart she commented. "The blood pressure reading the nurse-practitioner did today seems fine. You just need to watch it. Pregnant women can handle stress; it's just how they handle it that matters." She said with a smile. Diving into her desk again, she pulled out a handheld device. "Do you want to hear the baby's heartbeat today? You should be far enough along." She said and came back to Veronica.

Veronica was elated. "Yes! I was hoping we would get to do this today!" She said happily. She looked at Logan, his face was lit up with excitement .

Dr. Roberts smiled down at her. "Good! Let's get started then." She reached into a drawer in the table and pulled out some ultrasound gel. Smearing a bit on Veronica's stomach, she turned on the machine in her hand and held up a small wand. "This is a foetal Doppler. When we locate the baby, its heartbeat will be a little strange 'whooshing' beat." She said and looked down over her shoulder at Logan, who was sitting on the edge of his seat. She turned on the machine and a low 'shhhhhhhh' sound filled the room. Moving the probe around and around Veronica's belly slowly, she pressed the probe into her skin, searching. Veronica looked up from her belly to the doctor's face. She was frowning. All the blood drained from Veronica as she sensed something was not going according to plan. The doctor looked down at her and turned off the Doppler. The room was silent.

"It could still be too soon to hear, or the baby is in a strange position. I'm going to send you for an ultrasound. Just give me a minute to set it up and then I'll walk you over." She said and dropped the instrument down on her desk with a thud. She swept out of the room quickly, leaving Veronica and Logan silently frozen in their spots. By this point, Logan had stopped smiling and had turned stark white.

Veronica began to over compensate with talking. She adjusted her clothes and sat up. "I'm sure everything is fine. Just maybe too soon. Maybe I conceived after our honeymoon. You know, there was a LOT of sex around that time...who knows when I conceived for sure. And the baby is so small. Like, the size of a walnut, the book said? Or smaller? How are you supposed to find that behind all this pizza fat I've put on."

Logan rose and stood in front of her. "Everything will be fine." He said quietly and kissed her forehead. But he said it in a way that she knew he didn't believe it.

Dr. Roberts burst through the door again and gestured to them. "Follow me. I'm going to take you down the hall to ultrasound." She said quickly and started walking back out the door.

Logan took Veronica's hand and they hurriedly followed the Doctor to another room. There was a lab technician waiting for them. "Please lay down and pull up your shirt." He said coldly. Veronica walked over to the gurney and lay down. The room was dark and ominous. Logan took his place at the foot of the bed, leaning against the wall. He began chewing his nail. The doctor stood behind the technician as he slathered a probe in warm jelly. Without warning, he launched into pressing the wand against her belly. There was silence as he worked, only pointing to things that they couldn't see on the screen. Finally, he removed the probe and turned off the monitor. Nodding to the doctor, he left the room.

Dr. Roberts sat in a chair next to the gurney. "I'm sorry Veronica. We cannot detect a heartbeat. By the look of the position of the foetus in your uterus, it died several days ago."

Veronica was in shock. She couldn't process what was being said. "But I'm fine. I feel fine. Everything must be fine."

The Doctor shook her head sadly. "Veronica, I'm sorry, but these things happen in pregnancy. It doesn't mean that you can't try again in a few months. It just means that this pregnancy will not go to term, and there is nothing any of us can do."

"How did it happen?" Came Logan's low voice from the corner. Veronica looked over to see him, shrunk into the corner of the room.

The doctor sighed. "I don't know - no one can say for sure. In many cases the foetus just stops developing. It could be hormones; could be genetics; it just happens. But now we have to focus our attention on you, Veronica. I didn't detect any contractions which means the foetus may not be expelled naturally. We need to schedule a D and C to extract the foetus before you go septic. I'm going to talk to my staff about when we can get you in for surgery in the next few days." She said and rose from her chair, giving Logan and Veronica a sad look before exiting the room.

Veronica looked up at the speckled ceiling. The baby was gone. They'll never know if it was a boy or a girl. Never give it a name. Never see it. Never hold it. It wasn't even a 'baby' anymore. Somehow it became a 'foetus' and it needed to leave the safety of her body before it made her sick. And that's when Veronica opened up and cried from every pore in her body. Immediately, Logan was wrapped around her, as best he could while she lay there, weeping along with her. There were no words they could find to comfort each other, and so they let their emotions sweep them away.

When the first wave of their crying subsided, Logan sat in the chair next to the gurney and took her hand, kissing in gently. With her free hand, she awkwardly pulled her shirt back down over her still exposed belly, now just a protruding ball of fat in her eyes.

The Doctor must have heard them begin to quiet and she knocked softly on the door before entering. "I'm sorry to disturb you." She said softly. "I was able to book a time for surgery tomorrow at 2 pm. I've written down the location and the particulars on this information sheet." She put the sheet on the desk in the room and patted it so they knew where it was. "If you should feel cramping or bleeding tonight before the surgery, you need to go to emergency immediately so they can monitor you. Alright?"

When Veronica failed to make any acknowledgment, Logan nodded. "Alright. Thank you Dr. Roberts." He said quietly. Rolling back a bit, he reached for the paper on the deck, then rolled back to Veronica.

The doctor put her hand on Logan's shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss. Take as much time as you need in here before you leave. No one will disturb you." She said. Logan nodded and turned his attention back to Veronica, who had turned her face to the wall, her eyes closed tightly. Dr. Roberts left quietly, leaving the couple alone to mourn.

Logan reached out and began stroking Veronica's hair lovingly. He watched as her rib cage rose and fell heavily as she tried to keep control of her emotions. Logan had gone stoic, trying to keep himself in check for the next time Veronica broke. After a time, Veronica turned her head back to Logan and opened her eyes, the sadness in her face was killing him. He bent his head down to hers and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry." She said softly.

"For what?" He whispered back.

"For losing your child. Me and my defective uterus." She replied.

Logan pulled back so he could look her in the eye. "Don't you dare go blaming yourself." He said firmly. "You read the same pregnancy book I did. You know what the doctor said was right. I don't know how to say this any other way but, fucking shitty things happen and sometimes there is no one to blame but the universe for being a fucking shitty place."

Veronica smiled a small smile. "This is pretty fucking shitty."

He kissed her on the nose and put his face next to her. "This is by far the fucking shittiest thing, in a long list of fucking shitty things, that have happened to us in our lives. And it's going to be shitty for quite some time. But one day – and I promise you, that day will come – when it will be less shitty. But at least we have each other to hold onto during the shittiness."

Veronica let out a long breath. "I want to go home." She said in a small voice.

Logan reached for her hand and helped her sit up on the bed. "Then let's go." He responded. She dropped her feet over the edge and stood. She felt shaky and he wrapped his arm around her waist for support. His hand touched her belly and she felt him stifle a burst of tears. She put her head on his shoulder and together they walked out the door.

When they reached the loft, Veronica crawled into bed, fully clothed, and cried until she passed out. The only thing Logan could do was cry along with her and hold her until she slept. When he was sure she was sleeping soundly, he slipped out of her arms and made his way downstairs to the office.

When Sandy saw him come through the door, she squealed with excitement. "Oh my god! How did the baby appointment go? Did you hear the heartbeat?" She stood from her desk and finally noticed the haggard look on Logan's face. He locked the door to the office and collapsed onto the couch.

Mac had heard her girlfriend's voice and emerged from her office. "Hey! What's the word, boss?" She called down the hall as she walked. She came into the lobby to see Logan siting on the couch with his hands over his eyes, Sandy standing in shock behind her desk. Mac sat down softly next to her old friend. "Logan..." She began.

"We lost the baby." He choked out the words, a fresh wave of tears washing over him.

Mac threw her arms around him. "Oh no! Oh no!" She said over and over as tears began to flow from her.

Sandy collapsed into her seat again, completely deflated, and started crying to herself quietly.

After a time, Logan regained control again and uncovered his eyes. Mac took her arms from around him and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. "Sandy..." He began slowly. "I need you to cancel all appointments until next Tuesday. Veronica has to go for surgery tomorrow and neither of us will be up to returning until next week. And maybe just me, not her."

Sandy nodded and wiped her eyes with a Kleenex. "Okay." She said quietly. "Whatever we can do to help."

Logan nodded. "Veronica is asleep right now. I wanted to come downstairs and call Alicia and Keith where she wouldn't hear me."

Mac patted his back. "Whatever you need. We are here." She reiterated.

Logan gave her a tight smile and stood from the couch. "Thank you both so much. I'll be in my office for a bit and then I'm heading back to the loft." He then made his way down the hall, closing himself in his office.

Alone for the first time, he collapsed behind the door, allowing his misery to overtake him again momentarily. Picking himself up, once his tears were done, and dragged himself to his seat. Letting his hand hover over the phone for a beat, he picked it up and dialled Keith and Alicia's number.

After a few rings, Alicia answered happily. "Hello?"

Logan took a deep breath. "It's Logan." He said quietly.

Alicia's instincts kicked in. "Logan, honey. What's wrong?"

"We lost the baby." He said for the second time today, still not getting used to the sound of it.

A deep gasp came from Alicia before she burst into tears. "Oh my poor boy. Poor Veronica. I'm so sorry for you both."

Logan took a deep sigh, surrounding himself in the compassion Alicia was giving. "There was nothing we could do. It just happened."

Alicia dropped her voice. "I know, honey. Unfortunately, these terrible things happen. How is Veronica?"

Logan wiped his eyes. "Terrible. She cried herself to sleep. I'm too worked up, so I came downstairs to call you and Keith." His voice dropped. "Except I can't...I can't tell Keith. I just can't bear to disappoint him like this."

"I will tell him. And Wallace. But please, let us know what we can do to help." She said.

Logan exhaled. "Veronica has to go for surgery tomorrow afternoon. I know that the family has...plans...for tomorrow, but maybe tomorrow evening...if we need you..."

"I will be wherever you need me. So will Keith. We love you both." She responded kindly.

Logan could feel his emotions getting a hold of him again and felt the need to hang up and run. "Thank you Alicia. I have to go and check on Veronica."

"Of course. Keep in touch." Alicia choked, her emotions bubbling up too.

Logan hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair, staring up at the loft above him. He thought about his grieving wife, his dead child, his mourning family, and finally, he thought of Duncan. A rage began to build in him like a gyser bubbling up from his gut. It was all fine. Everything was perfect. And then Duncan came back. Logan threw himself out of his chair with such force that it fell over backwards. With a barbaric yell, Logan launched everything off his desk, and onto the floor with a crash. He looked at the damage – papers everywhere, computer smashed – and decided more needed to be done. Walking over to one wall covered by bookshelves, he grabbed a book from a shelf and launched it at the other wall, letting it crash through the glass of the large art print that hung in the middle of the space. He took another one and did the same. And another and another, each time, letting out a growl of anger and frustration. He kept going until tears of anger sprung to his eyes again, blurring his view. His breathing became ragged and he finally exhausted himself after a time. Sitting among the ruins of his office, he felt better and worse. The anger was gone but the sadness remained.

There was a small knock on the door and Mac shoved her hand through an opened crack. She waived a white Kleenex in the air. "Don't throw anything at me! I just want to rescue your computer!" She exclaimed.

Logan let out a small laugh. "You may want to grab the printer too before I go all 'Office Space' on it."

She poked her head in. "Nah. That printer sucks. Trash it with a baseball bat then let me get a new one. Do the one at Sandy's desk too."

Logan leaned back against the bottom of his desk. "This is all just so fucked up, Mac." He said.

She came and sat down among the rubble. "Yeah. It is."

He looked at her seriously. "You know what you can do for us?"

She looked at him strangely. "What?"

"Nail Duncan's ass to the wall."

She winked at him. "Consider it done."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Notes**

 **Thanks to everyone who left comments on the last chapter. I truly appreciate your input and support of my story and writing.**

A state of numb had set in by the next day. Logan woke Veronica the night before, encouraging her to eat the Mama Leone's feast he had ordered, but she only picked at it. Having to fast before her surgery meant that she couldn't eat breakfast, so instead, that morning, they both lay on the couch together, silently watching 'Friday Night Lights' on Netflix. Logan didn't know what was worse; the constant crying from the both of them, or the silence of two people who had cried themselves out. The journey to the hospital felt like some bad dreamlike haze. There were the murmured "I'm sorry" by people at every juncture, as clerks and nurses read the reason Veronica was in the hospital. Then there was the orderly who looked like she recognized Logan, but fell short of asking for confirmation of his psudo-celebrity status. And finally there was the priest who came down to offer "parochial care" who was unanimously dismissed by the non-religious couple, after it took them a minute to realize what "parochial care" meany.

When Veronica was changed and waiting in the private room for them to take her down to surgery did she finally speak to her husband. She sat in bed in her hospital gown, tucked under the covers for warmth. Logan sat across the small room from her in a big vinyl easy chair, that he was sure was designed by the Marquis de Sade. He shifted around uncomfortably, making the occasional squeaking noise against the fabric.

"Do you think they did it?" She said, her attention at the clock.

Logan was confused. "Who did what?" Raising one eyebrow and making a face.

Veronica smiled a bit at her husband's expression. "Look at the time. The 'plan' should have been executed by now."

Logan glanced at the clock. It was 1:30. The plan to descend on the Kane residence was happening at 1:00. 20 minutes in and out; which meant they should be gone by this time, if it worked. He grinned at Veronica. "Keith is in charge; of course they did it." Veronica made eye contact with Logan for the first time since they arrived. The pain radiated from her beautiful blue eyes. He stood and walked over to her, sitting on the bed. She turned away, unable to meet his eyes anymore. Tentatively, he reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Everything will be fine." He whispered.

"I know." She responded, not looking at him. She was weak. The emotional toll and the lack of food was getting to her and she was taking on a ghostly pale complexion. "I just want it all to be over."

Logan continued to stroke her head. "It will be, soon."

She was too tired to cry, but Logan could hear the tears in her voice. "I just want to stop thinking about this. Go back to our lives and be together."

"It will get better. After this is over, we'll go home and hide from the world for a while. Regroup. Heal. We'll move on, together." Logan leaned over and kissed her head. When he pulled back, she turned to look at him again.

She reached up and put her hand on his face. "I can't stand to see the pain in your eyes. I keep thinking I put it there." She murmured.

Logan's chest felt heavy. "None of this is your fault. My pain is not because of you; my pain is for you. Seeing you like this kills me, because I love you so much. Please, promise me, you will stop blaming yourself for this. Because the more you beat yourself up, the harder it is on both of us."

Veronica reached her head slowly and kissed him on the lips. "I love you."

He took her hand in his and held on for dear life. "I love you too."

There was a gentle knock before the nurse and orderly stepped into the room. They both smiled kindly at the couple holding hands. "Ms. Mars. It's time to take you down for surgery."

Veronica squeezed Logan's hand before letting go. He stood from the bed and turned to the nurse. "How long will she be...gone?" He asked, still having problems verbalizing what was about to happen.

The nurse came closer as the orderly set about putting up the gurney bed rails and unlocking the wheels. "A few hours. After surgery, we will keep her in the recovery ward to monitor her as she comes out of sedation. You are welcome to stay in here for that time, or leave and come back." The nurse put her hand on Logan's shoulder and guided him out of the way of the orderly.

He looked at Veronica. She seemed calm, almost serene, as if she finally accepted the inevitability of what was about to happen. "I'll be here when you wake up."

She nodded and closed her eyes, unable to look at him as she was wheeled out of the room. When the gurney was gone, the nurse gave him another sympathetic look before closing the door.

The void left in the room threatened to swallow Logan whole. The terrible puke green walls with the big pink stripe through it; the buttons and knobs, florescent lighting and bad furniture; he needed to leave. Walking to the thin window, he pulled back the pink black-out curtain and looked outside to the street. It took him a few moments of thinking and watching before he saw exactly where he needed to go. Grabbing his leather jacket off the chair, he escaped into the hallway.

"Bad Medicine" was officially the worst bar name Logan had ever heard of, but he wasn't there for the name. He was there for a drink. And the proximity - being located directly across from the hospital – was exactly what the doctor ordered. Walking through the doors, he found the dimly lit room comforting. A long oak bar, lined with stools, filled one wall of the narrow room. On the other side, two-seat booths filled the rest of the space. His eyes adjusting to the darkness, he slid himself into one of the booths, facing the back, in the hopes if some privacy. From the figures he could make out, there were only a few patrons this sunny Friday afternoon.

"What's your poison?" A middle aged woman with a bar apron walked up to him from behind, causing him to jump and lose his cool.

"Uhhhhh...Jack Daniels. No ice." He stammered like he was a teenager sneaking into the bar.

The waitress stood next the table, looking down at him. Her face was pale, showing an abundance of laugh lines, even though she didn't look like she ever smiled. Her dark black hair had silver streaks and she wore it in a partial beehive. "You got someone in there you waiting for?" She said and jerked her head towards the hospital. Logan nodded obediently. She gave a grunt. "Wife in labour?"

He looked up at her with painful eyes. "No. Miscarriage."

Her features softened. "I'm sorry to hear. First one's on me, honey." She said and walked to the bar. Logan watched as she told the bartender his order. The young man looked over her shoulder at Logan and gave his head a shake. He quickly poured the highball and handed it back to the woman, who turned and headed back towards him. She placed the drink on the table and patted him on the shoulder. "Just signal me when you want another." She then went back to making her rounds with the other customers.

Logan stared at the drink. He closed his eyes and thought back to a time when this was all that mattered; dulling the pain of life. A time when there was no Veronica...at least not in his life anymore. A time before the Navy...the career that changed him from a boy to a man. A time when he lived out of a hotel...before he knew how to make a home. He thought about everything he didn't have to lose back then, and what he could lose now. He spent most of his childhood living in fear. He fought the last decade to train himself not to fear his own existence. But today, he was filled with that same fear; that his very existence was on the line. His marriage to Veronica, their home, their business, their lives were now so interconnected that he feared if he lost her that his entire reason for living would fall out from under him.

"I've prayed over a drink or two before." Came a familiar game-show-host voice through his head. Logan opened his eyes and blinked in the sunlight. Cliff was standing over him, his own drink in his hand. "Mind if I join you? Drinking alone is for losers."

Logan couldn't help but chuckle. "Have a seat. If we talk about serving some papers for you, then you can write off your drinks as a meeting."

Cliff laughed. "Ever the shrewd business man. I will, however, mention that breaking your sobriety is a pretty stupid personal move."

Logan looked down at his drink. "Not actually going to drink it. Just needed a reminder."

Cliff brought his drink up to his mouth and finished off his cheap scotch. "Of what?"

Logan smiled. "Of a time between Veronica; after we broke up in college. No matter how bad things are now, they are still not as bad as then. At least now, I have her, and we can get through it together."

Cliff scowled. "And how bad are things?"

"Bad. Veronica had a miscarriage. We lost the baby." Logan replied, leaning back into the booth. "She's in surgery at the hospital across the street right now."

Cliff looked deflated. "Oh shit. I'm sorry." The lawyer put his hands up to his eyes and rubbed them to keep the tears at bay. "You know, I've known Veronica almost all her life. If I had a daughter..." He said, trying to find the words.

Logan interjected. "I know you care about her. She's in a really bad place right now. And I don't know if I know how to help her. Or us."

The older man reached over and took the glass of Jack Daniels. In one long shot, he downed the drink. Logan wasn't sure if he should laugh or applaud or punch him. "That's for you both." Cliff croaked out. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "You getting drunk or showing up with alcohol on your breath won't help either of you right now."

"I wasn't actually going to drink it!" Logan growled at him.

"Sure you weren't, Kid." Said Cliff and he gave a small hiccup. He waived to the waitress. When he had her attention, he yelled across the bar. "A Pepsi for my friend and another scotch for me, Rosie!" The waitress nodded and turned to the bartender to wait for her order.

"What are you doing, Cliff?" Logan asked, getting exasperated.

"I am getting drunk. And sitting with you until you go back to the hospital, sober. Got it?" Cliff pointed his finger at him, attempting to be menacing.

Logan smiled as Rosie planted a pint glass of Pepsi with a pink straw sticking out of it in front of him and another highball in front of Cliff. "Got it."

Veronica felt like she was trapped in a sleeping bag. She opened her eyes slightly, trying to adjust to the brightness. She was wrapped tightly in blankets in her hospital bed. It seemed that there was a curtain around part of her and she was facing a bright window. Recovery. She was in recovery after her D and C, she remembered and closed her eyes. She felt herself shivering. Her breathing was slow and shallow. Mentally, she took stock. She realized they must be treating her for the effects of the anaesthetic and what felt like shock. Veronica heard a man's voice talking to a woman. It sounded familiar.

Her mouth was so dry it was like it was filled with gauze, but she managed to whisper. "Lo-gan?"

"Don't worry, Veronica. I'm here." Said the voice. She quickly comprehended, it wasn't Logan. Veronica opened her eyes enough to see Duncan siting next to her. She closed her eyes again and she turned her head away. Veronica's body let out another spasm when she felt him reach over and touch her head, which was still covered in a surgical cap to contain her hair. "I was so sorry to hear what happened to you and your baby. I was in a board meeting and I rushed over to see if I could help you. Kane Software donates heavily to the hospital and I know you will have the best care here." He began.

She forced herself to turn her head back and open her eyes at him. "Lo-gan." She managed again.

Duncan shook his head in mock sadness. "No. I'm afraid Logan is across the street at the bar. He's not here to comfort you. But I am." He put his face down near hers. "If you were carrying my child, there would be no way I would abandon you like this."

Rage built in Veronica that cut through everything. How dare he attack her husband. How dare he mention her child. How dare he show up at her bedside. She wished she could tell him all of this and more. But her throat was on fire and her body was betraying her so instead, she was only able to choke out one phrase.

"Fuck off." She gasped with a much force as she could, her eyes shooting daggers from behind heavy lids.

Duncan looked startled. Pushing himself away from her bed, he stood and looked down at her. "Logan really has changed you." He said. "Don't worry, though. When this is over, I'll help you remember who you really are."

Veronica forced her eyes to stay open and watch him walk around the curtain, the sound of his dress shoes clicking on the linoleum flooring. When Veronica was sure he was gone, she let herself succumb to her sleep once more.

When Veronica opened her eyes again, she was staring at the familiar green and pink walls of her private room. Logan was sitting in the chair, staring at her. As she opened her mouth to speak, he jumped up and ran over to her bedside. Grabbing a cup of ice water with a straw, he shoved it in front of her face.

"The nurse said you may have trouble speaking from the dry mouth when you got up. Drink this." He ordered.

She felt like he was offering her champagne and she eagerly took the straw between her lips and drank until she felt the life flow back into her. She released the straw when she was done and smiled. "You make a good nurse." She whispered.

He smiled back. "Get used to it. I'm going to be taking care of you the next few days, whether you like it or not."

She gestured for him to come closer. When he got eye-to-eye, she sniffed the air. He frowned and pulled back. "What are you doing?"

She let out a sigh. No smell of alcohol. "Were you in a bar?" She queried softly.

Logan looked at her with horror. "Yes. But I didn't have a drink. Well, I had a drink, but I didn't drink it. It's a long story..." He rambled. "How did you know I was in a bar?"

Veronica reached out and tried to take his hand. Realizing she was still hooked up to an I.V., she struggled for a moment until he took hers in his. "Duncan told me you were in a bar." She answered.

Logan's jaw tightened. "What?"

Veronica shifted so she could face him better, making eye contact. "Someone from the hospital must have tipped him off about the D and C and he was waiting for me in recovery."

If he wasn't in a hospital, Logan would have destroyed every inch of that room. "What. The. Fuck." He spat.

"He wanted to see if I needed anything." She said and rolled her eyes.

Logan started moving from side to side, full of nervous energy. "What did you say?"

Veronica smiled. "I told him to fuck off."

A huge grin crossed Logan's face. He leaned over and kissed Veronica's hair. "That's my girl!" He said and sat on the edge of the bed, almost getting caught in her IV tube as he did. When he was comfortable, he kissed her hand, over the tape and needle gently. "How are you?"

She shrugged and made a face. "High as a kite. Hungry." She paused, taking inventory of her body. "Bloted. Crampy. Violated." She continued. "Traumatized beyond measure. And I just want to go home."

Logan frowned. Her pupils were dilated and she couldn't focus. Whatever they gave her had her slightly loopy and it was noticeable. "We'll go home as soon as you are able. It's around 5 pm. You were in recovery for a while."

Logan heard the door open behind him. The nurse entered with a clip board and walked over to the other side of the bed. "Ms. Mars. Good to see you up finally. Those fluids must have helped." She flipped open her chart. "You were showing signs of shock and dehydration so the doctor ordered an I.V. and we kept you in recovery longer than normal to monitor you. How are you feeling now?"

Veronica frowned. "Stoned. Hungry. Crampy." She summarized.

The nurse nodded along with her statements. "It's good to hear you are hungry. Often the anaesthetic will make people nauseous. You may feel light headed for a while from the anaesthetic as well. As for the cramping, that's going to last a few days. Advil or Tylenol should help take the edge off at home." She pulled a package in a large manila envelope off her clipboard and handed it to Logan. "This is everything you need to know about caring for Ms. Mars, once you are home. On Monday, you need to make an appointment with your OB/GYN for six-week from now to follow-up. No intercourse until she clears you at that time." She gave Logan a glare and turned to Veronica. "You are to take things easy for the next few days, Ms. Mars. Sleep. Eat. Regroup. If you feel depressed or anxious, there is some information on counselling for both of you." She looked between the couple. "Do you have any questions?"

Veronica and Logan looked at each other then back to the nurse and shook their heads in unison. She smiled again at them. "I will be back in a little while to take out your I.V. then when you are feeling up to it, you can go home."

Veronica suddenly spoke. "When I woke up in recovery, there was a man next to my bed...an old acquaintance who heard I was in the hospital. Why was he there and not my husband?" She asked through her foggy brain.

The nurse looked horrified. She clutched her clipboard to her chest and shook her head emphatically. "Oh no, Ms. Mars! I don't know what to say. It is not our policy to have any visitors in the recovery room. I will have to speak to my supervisors about this matter. I'm terribly sorry!" She began leaving the room in a fluster. "I will speak to someone at once."

Veronica let out a big sigh. "Well, that spooked her."

Logan's mind started turning. "Do you think he snuck past her? Or would it be different nurses in recovery?"

Veronica winced and shifted herself in the bed. The drugs were wearing off faster now that she was awake and she was definitely feeling uncomfortable. "Different nurses. She left when they started prepping me for surgery. So he may have either paid off or parlayed his status as a patron of the hospital to get it. He mentioned that he donated a lot to this place."

Logan felt his anger start to rise, but decided to push it aside for now, seeing his wife in discomfort. "Do you need anything?" He asked.

Veronica shook her head. He watched as her free hand moved from her side and rest on her belly. She looked down, realizing where her instinct placed her hand. She moved her palm over her stomach slowly. Before there was resistance; now it was just a soft, painful mass under the blankets. The emotional pain began bubbling up again. One word kept going through her head... "Gone." She said out loud.

Logan reached over and put his hand on hers over her belly. "I can't believe she's gone either." His eyes were wet again.

Veronica looked up at him. "She?"

Logan kept looking at her stomach, afraid to meet his wife's eyes. "In my head, she was always 'she'. I even gave her a name." His calm voice gave Veronica a sense of peace.

"What was it?" She whispered to him.

"Violet. Violet Lynn Mars." He responded, tears now running down his face freely and dropping onto the blankets.

Veronica's heart burst wide open with love for Logan. He did what she never had the guts to do. He named their baby so they could say goodbye. "Goodbye Violet Lynn." She said and began to weep.

"Goodbye Violet Lynn." Repeated Logan, his body shaking with grief. "Thank you for letting us love you for a while."

"We'll never forget you." Veronica added before her mourning took away her voice completely, allowing themselves to get lost in their sadness one more time.

Keith Mars sat at his new computer with Mac. All of the bugs had been planted by Wallace without a hitch and they were reviewing how to 'follow' Duncan around the house by switching from one bug to another. He looked at the time on the computer: 4:30 pm. The board meeting was supposed to be over at 4:00 and they were hoping to hear something other than Lilly's tutor trying to teach her the state capitals all afternoon.

Keith pulled one of his headphones off and looked at Mac. "You know, surveillance work is still just as boring as it was back before all this nifty computer stuff came around."

Mac grinned at him. "Yeah, but now that you are a best-selling writer, you can multitask and write while you wait."

Keith chuckled. He opened his mouth to say something when he heard Duncan's voice. The computer indicated that he was in the office. Mac saw what was happening on the screen and grabbed the second set of headphones so she could listen too. Keith's face became stoic as he placed his headphone back on to listen.

"...those old men are going to bring down my father's company, C.W." Said Duncan.

"Those are some of your father's most trusted advisors, Mr. Kane. I have faith they know the proper direction for the company." Responded Weidmen in his quiet monotone.

There was the sound of rolling chairs and Duncan began talking again. "Did your man get the photo of Logan drinking at that bar?"

"No sir. It seems he didn't actually drink it. Cliff McCormack...that two-bit lawyer of his drank it."

Duncan let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, keep tailing him. We have to catch him doing something that will piss off Veronica so much that she will leave him. Her losing that baby couldn't have come at a better time for us. They'll be so unhappy that they will turn on each other."

Keith nearly put his fist through the computer screen. This was his daughter and dead grandchild Duncan was discussing so callously. The man was going to exploit his grieving daughter for his own gain. Keith knew he shouldn't have been surprised, but it still filled him with rage.

"I have mentioned before, Mr. Kane, I don't think that Mr. Echolls and Ms. Mars will be easy to break up."

"That's before their baby died. Logan doesn't deserve to be a father; he'd probably beat it like Aaron beat him. Veronica should be with me and carry my child and care for Lilly like she did so many years ago."

Now Keith was sure the best option for their plan was a bullet between Duncan's eyes. As if reading his thoughts, Mac looked over at him and put her hand on his shoulder for support.

"The way Veronica spoke to you at the hospital, I would say this little game you are playing will not end with the both of you happily married." Scoffed Weidmen.

There was a loud bang as Duncan slammed his hand on his desk. "Damn it, C.W. Veronica is mine! Logan stole her from me! Now, are you still an employee of the Kane family, or is this how you would like to resign?"

A short silence fell before the sound of a chair moving pierced the air. "I have to go check on a security issue, Mr. Kane. The fire alarms were tripped this afternoon while we were gone. Possibility of a small electrical fire. I should follow up though. Excuse me." Weidmen's footsteps then followed and the sound of the door opening and closing punctuated the end of the conversation.

Keith listened a few moments longer before he pulled off his headphones and flung them on the table. "He's having them tailed." Keith's voice became strained. He was still trying to come to terms with the loss of his grandchild, but still managed to pull off their plan that afternoon. The confirmation that Duncan was indeed hell-bent on breaking up Logan and Veronica began to send him over the edge as ideas for Duncan's death ran through his head. He rubbed his eyes and covered them while he talked. "We need to do something, Mac. He can't hurt my daughter again."

Mac put her hand on his shoulder. "We'll get something on him. We just have to be patient. Why don't you go and get some coffee; I'll take over for a while."

Keith nodded and pushed his chair back. He knew that he needed a big cup of coffee while contemplating the destruction of Duncan Kane.

Y


	8. Chapter 8

Veronica woke up with Logan wrapped around her protectively, one arm under her pillow, the other around her waist. They were both nestled under the big quilt they stole from Mrs. Navarro's house all those years ago. She shimmied a bit, pressing herself closer to Logan's body and let out a sigh.

"You're awake." Logan whispered close to her ear. This would normally elicit a warm feeling that would start in her toes and move up to her cheeks. But today, he felt like a talking water bottle that stretched the length of her body. Everything ached.

"Yes. But I don't want to be." She whispered back. Opening one eye, she glanced at her clock. It was after nine in the morning. She had hoped it was nine at night.

"Your dad and Alicia said they would be over around 10ish with breakfast." He gently reminded her. "And you need to get up and move around. The paperwork from the hospital said it would help keep everything...flowing...prevent clots and all that stuff."

Veronica scrunched up her face. Never in a million years could she imagine discussing this with her husband. She knew he was right and she should also get up, but she really didn't want to have to deal with it at the moment. Or ever.

"I don't want to." She said like a child, hoping he would leave it at that and let her spend the rest of her life in bed.

Logan kissed the back of her head. "I know. I don't want to get up and face life either. But I'll do it for you." Veronica listened to his words quietly. "So I'll tell you what...for the next little while, maybe if we can't get up for ourselves, then maybe we can get up for each other. I will get up every day, and face life, for you and with you, if you can get up and get through the day, for me, and with me."

Veronica knew he was right. She couldn't get out of bed for herself. But knowing he needed her to get out of bed and take care of herself, for him, motivated her enough to consider leaving the safety of her bed. "Okay." Veronica promised him quietly. "I will get up. For you. Until I can get up for myself again."

Veronica felt Logan's breath on her neck as he pressed himself as close to her as he could. She could feel the two-day stubble on his face and she wanted nothing but to turn around and get lost in him. But her mind and her body could not fulfil her thought. Why they felt the need to tell them they had to wait 6-weeks before having sex again seemed preposterous to her; in her head the thought of sex right now terrified her to her core. She wasn't sure how Logan was feeling, but she figured that talking about her bleeding was probably going to kill the mood for him for at least 6-weeks, if not longer.

As if reading her mind, Logan blurted out. "Why did the nurse give ME the stink eye about sex?"

Veronica let out an involuntary laugh. "You mean you aren't going to demand I perform any 'wifely duties' for you right now?"

Logan gave a full body shudder. "Fuck no! Now don't take this the wrong way, but I am definitely not thinking about sex in any way, shape or form right now. "

Veronica found his hand around her waist and threaded her fingers through his. "So what are you thinking about?"

Logan squeezed her fingers. "Mostly you and Violet. But I also remembered that I need to cancel the meeting with the contractors about making actual bedrooms in here. I was also thinking that I miss going surfing with Dick. And ways to torture Duncan also crossed my mind."

Veronica smiled to herself. "And what torture methods were you thinking of?"

Logan gave an evil chuckle. "You know...things like tying him up and placing duct tape all over his body, then ripping it off. Or dunking him in a tank of piranhas while he's covered in fish guts. Stuff like that."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "So stuff that if you were a character from Looney Tunes or an Austin Powers movie would be completely acceptable."

"Exactly. What can I say, I'm easily amused." He said and gave her a squeeze.

She giggled and pulled herself into a ball. He matched her movement and curled around her more, surrounding her entire tiny body. The feeling of protection did not help in making her feel like she needed to get up. The sound of their intercom buzzing did. The couple stopped moving, both letting out a deep sigh. Logan unwrapped himself from her and flung himself off the end of the bed. He was dressed in his sweats and a t-shirt, and looked beautifully dishevelled. He walked around to Veronica's side and offered her his hand. She took it and swung her legs off the bed and sat up. She was dressed in a pair of old yoga pants and one of Logan's t-shirt; her official 'comfort' outfit. All the blood rushed out of her and she felt momentarily dizzy. He offered his other hand and she steadied himself before pulling herself to stand. Every molecule in her body screamed at her to go back to bed, but she fought the urge, and slowly began to shuffle towards the bathroom. Logan began walking with her but she shooed him off. "I'm going to clean up and take a quick shower before seeing my dad and Alicia. You go and let them up."

Logan looked at her with concern. He was afraid if he let go, she would fall over. But she waived him off and continued her slow travel towards the bathroom. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he moved towards the intercom to buzz his family upstairs. He opened the door to the loft for them and wandered over to the kitchen to start a big pot of coffee.

Alicia entered first, carrying two aluminium food trays. Keith followed, huffing and puffing a bit from the climb, carrying a big box.

" 'Morning." Logan called from the kitchen and waived across the space.

"Hello Logan." Alicia called and brought the two trays over to the counter near him. She set them down and immediately came around and enveloped Logan in a giant hug.

Logan sunk into the contact slightly. Never in his life did he feel like he needed his mom more than now. He gently pulled out of the embrace before his emotions bubbled over again. "Veronica just went for a shower. We lacked motivation this morning." He said, looking down at his sweats.

"No need to stand on ceremony for us, son. We understand." Said Keith quietly as he began unpacking the box on the table. He pulled out a big container of homemade whipping cream, fruit, jams, and a jar of chocolate sauce.

"Waffle comfort food." Explained Alicia with a smile as she moved past Logan to turn on the oven. He shuffled out of the way and sat on a stool at the counter as she took the aluminium containers and deposited them in the stove.

Keith came up and put his arm around his son-in-law. "I'm sorry you are both going through this, son."

Logan couldn't look Keith in the eye, instead he cast his gaze down to his hands on the counter. "Thank you." He responded quietly.

Keith took a seat next to Logan. "Veronica doesn't know this but the reason she is an only child is that Leanne lost a baby, when Veronica was about 18-months old." Keith confided, his voice thick with emotion. "She was further along than Veronica was – she lost it around the 5-month mark. We both mourned that baby for years. And Leanne was so scared of losing another one that we decided not to try again. I guess that's one of the reasons why I was so shocked that she had Hunter all those years later."

Logan's head shot up. "Oh, shit. We have to call Gareth and tell him what happened."

Alicia stepped over into the conversation. "Keith called Gareth and Hunter after you told us, Logan, to let them know for you."

Logan looked over at his father-in-law. "Thank you for doing that. Hunter was looking forward to having a niece or nephew. This will break his heart."

Alicia came and put her hand on Logan's. "Gareth was going to tell him during his weekly therapy session so his doctor could help him through it. Don't you go worrying about us though. You just concern yourself with Veronica's needs for now."

Logan turned to Keith. "What did you do for Lianne, after you lost the baby?"

Keith shrugged. "I just tried to be there for her. It was a difficult time. She started drinking again. We picked on each other for the stupidest things. Her hormones were all over the place and one minute she was happy, the next she was crying hysterically because she couldn't get the top off a baby food jar." Keith shook his head as he thought back. "I tried to do what I could, but I still had to work and help take care of Veronica."

"How did you get through it?" Logan asked, hoping for a magic answer.

"When I discovered she was drinking again, I sent her to therapy. That helped a lot, but she carried the pain of losing the baby with her for probably the rest of her life." He confided. "But Veronica is not Lianne. Veronica had her own coping methods – some good, some not so good – that you will both have to deal with. Same goes for you."

Logan smirked. "Cliff call you about running into me at the bar?"

"Yes." Keith said seriously. "But I also heard from Duncan Kane."

Logan turned his entire body towards Keith. "What the fuck? How did that happen?"

Keith sighed. "Well, the good news is that our bugs work. The bad news is that Duncan is having you both followed, in the hopes that he can find out something that can be used to break you up."

Logan put his arms over his head and crossed them. "He's just not going to give us a break, is he."

Keith shook his head sadly. "No. And he sees Veronica's miscarriage as a..." Keith nearly gagged on the word. "...opportunity."

A look of disgust settled on Logan's face. He couldn't get over the fact that Duncan was once his best friend; this man who had no capacity for empathy. Veronica was in so much pain, and all Duncan wanted to do was make things worse for her. "I really do hate him." Logan muttered.

Keith nodded his agreement. Just as he did, Veronica opened the door to the bathroom. She had changed back into the clothes she slept in, her skin was still glowing red from the scalding hot shower she must have taken. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a wet, messy bun. All eyes in the room turned to her, which made her look away, shifting herself uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

Keith got off his stool and strode quickly over to child. She knew he was coming but couldn't look at him. Reaching her, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, trying to add another layer of protection to her skin. "I'm so sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry you know this pain." Veronica leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. It only took a second before the dam burst and she was crying again, in her father's arms.

Logan turned back to the counter and covered his eyes with his hands, unable to watch his wife in anymore pain. A moment later he, felt two hands grip his shoulders, and Alicia lay her head on Logan's back, holding him gently. He inhaled deeply, trying not to erupt into tears again.

Veronica closed her eyes, feeling safe and loved in the arms of her dad. "Do you think she knew how scared I was to be a mom?" She asked quietly. "I feel like she could sense it and that's why she left."

Keith was at a momentary loss for words. Of course the girl who's mother left her would worry about leaving her baby. Of course the girl who worried about others leaving her would believe her miscarriage was another loved one leaving. "You know if your heart that isn't true." He responded quietly. "You are not Lianne. You are Veronica, and someday, some little person will be very happy that you are their mom."

His words seemed to calm her. Someday. This new word and all the hope and fear that came with it stuck in her head. She dried her tears and pulled back to look at her father. "Thanks Dad." He kissed her on the forehead and loosened his grip on her.

Veronica walked away from him slightly and noticed Logan being comforted by Alicia. In spite of her sadness, she smiled at how lucky they were to have Alicia, and her huge capacity to love, as their "Mom". As she approached, Alicia noticed her and pulled away from Logan, shifting her attention to walk up to Veronica and hug her. "If you need some 'girl time' together, you just let me know." She said as she pulled back from her step-daughter.

"Thank you, Alicia. Maybe in a few days. Right now what I need is food and two Advil. I feel like a truck hit me." Veronica sighed.

Alicia helped Veronica to the table and pulled out a chair for her. "You just sit. I made a big stack of waffles. Less the ones Wallace ate before we left."

Veronica laughed. "Wallace move back home? Did I miss that memo?"

Keith came and sat down across from her. "No. He is on 'Duncan Duty' this morning while I'm here."

Logan giggled as he sat next to his wife. "Duncan Doo-tey."

She guffawed at him. "How old are you?"

She felt him reach under the table and take her hand. "I will always be the 12-year-old you fell in love with." He said and kissed her head. Alicia set down the uncovered pan of waffles in front of him on the table and he gasped in excitement.

Alicia smiled and sat down. "Dig in. The other pan is still warming. If you don't eat them all this morning, you can eat them for the next few days."

"But if you don't come home with leftovers, how will Wallace survive the next few days? Raman Noodles are not that nutritious." Veronica joked as she stabbed two from the pile and dropped them on her plate.

"Don't worry about your stepbrother. He is more than happy with the meals he will be receiving as compensation for his work." He dad said and reached across the table to grab some food.

"So how is the surveillance going?" Asked Veronica as she smeared homemade jam over her waffles.

Logan and Keith looked at each other for a beat before an answer came. "Good." Began Keith. "The plan went off without a hitch and Wallace planted a the bugs in record time. Now we just sit and wait and listen."

"Did Logan tell you Duncan visited in the hospital?" She said, not looking up from her food.

Keith cleared his throat. "No. But we overheard Duncan talking to Wiedman about it later that day."

Veronica got quiet for a moment as she stuffed a big fork full of food into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. She swallowed and continued. "Do I want to know what he said?"

Logan jumped into the conversation. "No. But suffice to say, Duncan is having us both followed."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know. The guys he hired are not, shall we say, smooth." She said and stuffed more food into her.

Logan looked annoyed. "How did you see them and I didn't?" He asked.

She pointed her fork at herself as she chewed. "I'mf dust dat yood." She said happily, with her mouth still full.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, I know you are good but, Duncan is not. He wants to find something to break us up."

Veronica put down her fork and turned to her husband. "Let him look. There is nothing to find. Firstly, we work and live in the same building...how are they going to follow us? You know as well as I do there are days when we never leave! Second, we work together. Who does he think is going to have an affair with one of our gay co-workers...you or me? And third, he clearly has no idea what we have been through to get us to this point and that it isn't something that will collapse overnight over something trivial." She turned to her dad. "What we need is something that we can... and please excuse the language Alicia...use to put his balls in a vice grip." She then picked up her fork and dove back into her breakfast.

Alicia gave her a mom-face. "I will let you get away with that language at the table today, considering the person we are dealing with."

"I don't think it will be long before we get something." Began Keith. "I've already noticed that Duncan is not listening to Weidmen's advice on personal or business matters. I think that C.W.'s loyalties may have extended to Kane Senior, but Kane Junior is another matter."

Veronica thought about things for a moment. "I got the chance to talk to Lilly on the beach that morning. There is something up with that girl." She stopped eating and put down her fork, pushing her mind past the last few days. "She seemed nervous, agitated, when Duncan was around. She even flinched a few times."

Silence fell as all the people at the table stopped eating and looked at each other. "Do you think he hits her?" Came Logan's soft voice from next to her.

Veronica shrugged. "I don't know. Or am I reading too much into it and she's just an average teenager who is embarrassed to be around her dad?" She frowned as she thought some more. "She also asked me about Meg and made a comment that she 'reminds' Duncan of Meg. But the way she said it..." Her eyes looked into the vast open space of the loft, contemplating the unthinkable. She focused on her father, who's mouth dropped open, his face had gone white. "Dad...you don't think..."

All eyes focused on the former Sherriff; the man who had seen many horrible things in his career and carried the mental scars of some still to this day. "Veronica, anything is possible. I have seen seemingly loving families who did things to their children that would give you nightmares."

Logan looked down at his plate. "Duncan raped you while you were unconscious, he left Meg for dead when he knew she was pregnant with his child, and had Aaron killed. I wouldn't put anything past him at this point. This is not the goofy Duncan we knew when we were kids." He looked up at his wife, his face full of emotion. "Aaron once had us pose for a People magazine shoot the day after he beat me with a belt for the first time. My back bled through the shirt I wore and was absorbed into the lining of my sport coat. They edited out the glassy look in my eyes from the drugs my mom fed me for the pain. Later, Aaron said the photo turned out so well that he got a copy framed and put it on the mantle. I was 13. No one knew. We all looked like the perfect family. Everyone looked at that photo for years. No one knew." He let out a big sigh and pushed his food away from him. "If Lilly is being abused, then we have an even bigger problem than his obsession with you; that we can handle together. Now, a child's entire life may be at stake. And if it is true, we have to get him away from her."

Veronica reached for her husband and cradled his cheek with her hand. He kissed her palm, no words were needed.

The gravity of the situation dropped on the group. "We need evidence." Keith said slowly, thinking as he spoke. "We need confirmation that our suspicions are correct. We are extracting a lot from one conversation. But I do agree with Logan, this is not a stupid teenage Duncan we are dealing with; this is a grown man who operates with impunity and no regard for others. We need to be careful, for your sake and Lilly's sake."

Veronica closed her eyes. Her mind flashed back to a time when she let Duncan touch her. Then it flashed to a time when she didn't let him, but he did so anyway. She felt disgusted. She felt weak. Her body and her mind were not as strong as usual and the stress of the situation struck hard. Logan knew something was wrong and put his hand on her shoulder just as she felt herself slide into darkness.

The first thing Veronica saw when she awoke was Logan, standing at the foot of their bed, chewing on his nails. He looked terrified. Alicia was sitting in the bed next to her. Her dad was no where to be seen. "What happened?" She whispered.

Alicia brushed her hair back from Veronica's face and continued stroking her head. "Your blood pressure dropped. I think the stress of the conversation, combined with the fact that your body is still healing, just overwhelmed you." Veronica closed her eyes and let Alicia mother her. "You are going to lose a lot of blood over the next few days. Your hormones are trying to readjust. Your body is resetting itself. You need to rest and let yourself get better, sweetheart. Don't think about Duncan or Lilly or anything other than yourself and Logan."

Veronica closed her eyes, listening to her step-mom. "Where's Dad?"

"He went for a walk. He said he needed to think, but I believe he just couldn't bear to see you sick. His heart is a little fragile right now." She explained softly.

Veronica would have cried, but she didn't have the energy. Instead, she let herself fall back to sleep.

She when she opened her eyes again, there was soft music playing. Logan must have put on the stereo to fill the silence, she surmised. Veronica heard shuffling behind her and rolled towards the noise.

Logan was sitting on the floor, his back turned to the bed, a pile of things beside him. She sat up a bit and realized he was sitting next to a pile of clothes, toys, and pregnancy books. Veronica noticed his hair was damp and he had changed into shorts and a t-shirt. She watched his hunched back as he picked up a tiny sleeper, shook it in the air, folded it, and put it in the box in front of him, his head lowered for a moment as he took a deep inhalation of breath, then took another sleeper from the pile and did the same thing. She put her head back down on the pillow and watched quietly as her husband packed away their lost future. She watched the muscles in his neck as he stretched and moved. She watched his fingers nervously run through his hair as he contemplated what to do with the teddy bear, white stuffy bunny, and fuzzy squeaky duck that didn't quite fit in the box. She watched as his ritual finally ended and he pressed the flaps of the box down, locking everything away. He turned back to check on her and was surprised to see her staring back at him.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." He responded, his voice husky with emotion. "How long have you been awake?"

"A while." She replied. "I didn't want to interrupt you." Veronica lifted the blanket, inviting him in.

Logan crawled slowly along the floor and up into the bed. He slid in next to her and wrapped her up in his arms again.

"Maybe someday we will open that box again." Veronica reassured him quietly. Her husband did not respond. She looked up to see him gazing off in the distance. "Someday." She repeated hopefully.

Logan sighed. "Veronica. I'm sorry, but I can't think of 'someday' right now. I can't even think about tomorrow right now." He said, his grief starting to overtake him again.

"But we can try again. In a few months, maybe." Veronica tried to be positive.

Logan closed his eyes. "Or maybe not. Or maybe I don't think I could watch you go through this one more time. Or maybe this is far more pain than I want to chance ever happening again."

Veronica's heart leapt into her throat. This couldn't be happening. They were always on the same page. He would come around.

"Or maybe everything will be fine next time. And we will have a healthy, happy baby together." Desperation started sneaking into her voice.

Logan kissed the top of her head. "Maybe." He said quietly.

They were laying pressed together, but for the first time in years, Veronica felt like they were miles apart.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Notes**

 **This is the last terribly sad chapter for a bit. As your reward for sticking by me this long, the chapter after this one will be fluffy and fun...I PROMISE!**

 **AO3 and as been giving me problems still and some people may have missed the notice about my last chapter. I usually update my story every few days, so check back regularly if you don't receive a notice.**

The weekend passed quietly. Veronica spent the next couple of days either sleeping or curled up on the couch, watching movies with Logan. There was no more talk about the baby, which was both a blessing and a curse. With every hour of silence in the day, Logan could feel Veronica slipping further and further into herself, shutting him out. She slept at the far end of the bed or on the couch, rolling from his grasp after he fell asleep.

Every once in a while, Veronica would still become overcome and cry, usually stopping when she fell asleep or hid in the bathroom. Logan, in an effort to give the illusion that he was staying strong for his wife, took to hiding his emotions as well, trying to contain his misery to the shower, and when he was locked away in his private gym in the garage. By Monday, Veronica insisted that her husband get out of the loft, so he went and hung-out with Weevil at his bike shop and took a cathartic ride on their motorcycles down the P.C.H.. He rejected Weevil's offer to make Duncan 'disappear', but it took him a moment or two of thinking about it before he did. When he returned home, he felt better, but the sight of his wife, curled up in a ball on the couch, sleeping with the television on, deflated his momentary good feeling.

That's why, on Tuesday morning, when he woke up to the smell of bacon, he was very confused. Looking towards the kitchen he bellowed. "Why are you out of bed?"

Veronica turned away from the breakfast she was cooking and bellowed back. "Because it's Tuesday! The office is open. Back to work we go!"

Logan turned to look at his clock. 7:30 am. He rolled himself out of bed, stretching and scratching his naked abs. Sleeping in clothing was starting to get to him, and so he opted for just pajama pants that night. He walked over to Veronica and wrapped his arms around her as she stood at the stove. "You don't have to go in today." He said and kissed her neck tenderly. She was already showered and changed into her light summer robe. She smelled of fresh marshmallows and promises again.

He could feel his wife tense in his arms. "Yeah. I do. I can't sit here and obsess anymore. All I think about is Violet and you and me. I need a distraction or my brain will eat itself alive."

"I understand. Just don't overdo it. If you need to come upstairs and grab a nap or some time alone, let me know." He pressed his lips into her head as he talked not ready to let her go quite yet.

Veronica reached over and took the burner off and removed the last of the bacon. "I'll be fine." She said and wiggled out of his arms. "Let's eat."

He watched as she took the plate of bacon and placed it on the counter, then made her way to a stool and started loading her plate with scrambled eggs, not making eye contact. Logan's heart sank. "Emotional Veronica" had officially shut down and had been replaced this morning with "Autopilot Veronica." This worried him more than the crying.

Taking a plate, he stood across from her, forcing face-to-face contact. They spent the rest of the morning this way, Veronica quietly going about her routine, and Logan positioning himself ever so near. At times like this, the two of them knowing so much about how the other one operated was both a blessing and a curse. Logan knew that she was running away from her problems and wanted space; Veronica knew that Logan needed affection and contact when things got rough. Yet neither of them could find it in themselves to yield and give the other what they needed, too overwhelmed with their own emotions to budge.

By the time they opened the door to the office, they were each glad to take off to the solitude of their offices. The partners managed to beat Sandy and Mac, so there was a great open silence to the space. Logan paused at the end of the hallway, readying himself to clean up his trashed office. When he threw open the door he was shocked to find his office was clean. Wandering over, he noticed the note taped to his new computer.

 _ **You're welcome. - Mac + Sandy**_

Next to his computer was a new printer with the receipt for the equipment taped to it. Logan chuckled. He wasn't sure how he deserved to have all these women in his life, helping to look after him, but he was glad he did.

Veronica appeared at his door as he was thinking. She looked around. "Why do you have a new computer and new art on the walls?" Logan looked at the big brick wall. Instead of the broken glassed print there was now a beautiful landscape canvas of the beach at sunset.

"Because I trashed my office after we found out about the baby." He confessed. "Thankfully, Sandy and Mac took pity on me and fixed it. I thought I was going to be cleaning today."

Veronica let out a big sigh, her brow furrowed. "Logan..." She began.

Her husband raised his palm at her. "Just...stop. Whatever you are going to say, just please don't. I feel shitty enough about it without the lecture."

The minute the words were out of his mouth he regretted them. He watched her drop her head and turn, walking back to her office quickly and slamming the door. Logan closed his eyes and smacked his head with his hand. "Just had to say something, idiot." He muttered to himself and flopped into his chair. He was sitting and contemplating his own stupidity when he heard Sandy and Mac enter through the front door.

"Hellloooooooo!" Came Mac's voice through the halls.

Logan got up and walked down the hall, past Veronica's closed door, and into the lobby. "Yo." He said and gave them both a small salute before landing himself on the couch.

Sandy went behind her desk and dropped off her shoulder bag. Mac sat down beside Logan. "I'm surprised to see you here. How's Veronica?"

Logan bobbed his head towards the hallway. "Well, she's in her office...you can see for yourself." He griped.

"What?" Sandy dropped her voice to a whisper. "She should be resting. Shouldn't she?"

Logan shrugged. "She said she needed to work. Just tread lightly. I already messed things up by telling her I trashed my office. Now she's pissed at me." He turned to Mac. "Which, by the way, thank you so much for cleaning up my mess. You didn't have to do it."

Mac looked at Sandy. "Sandy was pretty upset about the baby, after you left..."

"Organizing soothes me." Interjected Sandy.

Mac nodded. "Best sex of my life was after I bought her a super tricked-out label maker for Christmas." Elbowing Logan. He offered her a fist bump for the comment, which she gladly accepted.

Sandy rolled her eyes at her girlfriend, giving a sly smile. "You had to say that, didn't you." She said as she flipped switches all over her desk to turn on all her computer equipment, including her new printer. She then gave a little giggle at the memory. Logan and Mac let out loud laughs at Sandy's response.

The small click of Veronica's door opening stopped the laughter momentarily. She walked down the hall, to the edge of the lobby and leaned her side up against the wall. Her arms were crossed in front of her body, protectively. "Hey. What's so funny?" She said shyly.

Logan grinned and put his arms behind his head. "Mac was regaling me with sex stories. She's a bad influence. We should fire her immediately." Mac took her opportunity and smacked his abs, causing him to let out a groan. He looked up to see Veronica giggle, a small twinkle back in her eye.

"I like the painting you chose for Logan's office." She turned and said to Sandy.

Sandy grinned. "Thank you! The artist is a friend of mine. She's just starting out so it wasn't that expensive, but I thought you both may like it." She looked at Logan. "And it was cheaper than if we reframed that ugly print."

Logan took a mock insulted voice. "Hey! The office supply company assured me that was the finest piece of 'art' they had!" He wagged his finger at Sandy. "I'll have you know, I have numerous pieces of original art. My mom collected a lot of fine art. But it is currently on loan to the Neptune Art Gallery."

Veronica looked at him and smiled. "Maybe it's time we start collecting art ourselves." She said.

Logan's heart jumped in his chest. "Maybe we should. It seems like something grown-ups do."

"You're a grown-up?" Teased Mac.

"Sometimes." Logan said and stuck his tongue out at her.

Veronica stood straight up. "Well, while this had been fun, we have work to do. Can we all meet in a few minutes to discuss the status of some cases?" Logan, Mac, and Sandy all nodded in agreement. "Okay. I'm going to get the files I have on my desk. Sandy, could you please gather any other open files for me."

"Sure thing." Responded Sandy and she turned to her neat pile of papers on her desk to start compiling.

Veronica nodded then disappeared down the hall, shutting the door to her office behind her. The closed door made Logan's heart sink again. Closed door, closed Veronica. He stood and muttered. "Boss told us to get back to work." Then headed for his office.

A few minutes later, they all gathered back in the meeting room. Sandy had flipped the switch to the coffee maker on the way in and the entire places smelled wonderful. Veronica thought about how she wished she could have one more cup of coffee, then she remembered she wasn't pregnant anymore and could drink the whole pot and no one would care. She dropped her head and began flipping frantically through her files, trying to push aside her emotions.

Veronica jumped a bit when she felt Logan's hand on hers. "Are you okay?" He asked, noticing her sudden erratic movements.

"I'm fine." She snapped, trying to keep control. Looking up, she spied all eyes on her, a mix of sympathy and shock on their faces. Veronica cleared her throat and began speaking, ignoring the looks for now. "I have three outstanding cases right now – all of them divorce cases that came in early last week that need surveillance on the partner: Porter, Laroche, and Rivera. Mac, have you been able to dig up anything to point us in the right direction?"

Sandy put up her hand excitedly. "Oooh! She wasn't able to, because she was busy with Mr. Mars, so I did!"

Veronica gave her a big smile. "Wow! Okay. Give me what you have."

Sandy looked over at Mac for support with a smile and opened her files. Her girlfriend was beaming at her. "Okay...so I found out through his email that Mr. Porter is having an affair with his secretary, and they are doing it in his office because she talks about it in an email. There were no records of hotels or motels on his credit cards. Mrs. Laroche has no emails or texts from anyone suspicious, but her credit card shows her going to a hotel and spa by the wharf every week at the same time. I was thinking it may be a rendezvous spot, but she needs surveillance to follow up. And finally, Mr. Rivera has numerous absolutely filthy emails from several women, credit card receipts from hotels all around town, and reams of sexts that made me want to wash my eyeballs after reading them. Mrs. Rivera deserves to get everything for what that man has done with those women." Stated Sandy and she closed her files.

Both Logan and Veronica were staring at their young office manager, their mouths open. "That's awesome!" Said Logan finally. "Nice job training her, Mac. And Sandy, once we check to make sure these leads pan out, schedule an appointment with me to discuss a raise, now that you have new talents to share with the business."

Veronica agreed. "Yes. Most definitely. Now we just have to make time to follow up and collect photographic evidence. How is your case load?" She said turning your Logan.

He shrugged. "I have one surveillance case but it's an out-of-town run. Mrs. Jeffries suspects her son at Berkely University is using hard drugs and wants evidence so they can get him into a rehab program, if necessary, so I need to get evidence of his party habits. And I have to schedule follow-up meetings with Mr. Scott and Mr. Franklin to break the news their wives are currently having affairs with their trainer and hairdresser, respectively."

Veronica sighed. "That's a lot of work and we have of lost time to make up for. I think we may need to pull in Weevil again for at least one of the surveillances...maybe Mr. Rivera...that should be an easy one. I can follow Mr. Porter and Mrs. Laroche if you want to head to Berkely, Logan." Her head down, jotting notes in her files.

"No." Said Logan.

Veronica looked up and frowned. "What do you mean, 'No'?"

Logan stared at his wife. "You aren't supposed to be doing field work anymore. Plus, you're not supposed to be out without someone in case Duncan shows up."

Veronica's eyes shot daggers at Logan. "First off, I can handle Duncan. Second, I stopped doing field work because of the baby. No baby anymore. Should be fine to do field work again. Unless I lost my ability to take a photo in the last few weeks too."

It was like the silence before a shoot out at the O.K. Corral swept into the small room. Mac and Sandy had the sudden urge to run before the gunfire erupted.

Logan's eyes were dark with anger as he turned to his partner. "Yeah. You're handling Duncan really well. He sneaks into your hospital room. He follows you around. But you can handle him! And you just lost our child, for Christ's sake! You shouldn't even be here...you should be recuperating. But oh, no...you know best, so here you are! Can you just think about what you really need to be doing for two-god-damn-seconds, please!"

Veronica wasn't too sure if she was going to scream or cry or both. Logan rarely yelled, and so when he did, it stopped her heart. Sandy and Mac realized the couple were staring so intensely at each other that they didn't even see them, so the two quickly got out of their chairs and left the room.

The sound of the door closing signalled Veronica that the gloves where off. She jumped from her chair and began to pace the room angrily. When she found her voice, it was husky with all her emotions. "I AM thinking about things! That's all I do! Think! Think! Think! Have you any clue what I need right now? I need to do less thinking and more forgetting! I need to work, not just push papers around a desk. I need to get out of this god-damn building. I need to go back to the life I had before I ever got pregnant and had to change everything for a baby who isn't even here anymore!" Her voice worked up to a high pitch scream and she was breathing like a prize fighter.

Logan launched himself out of his chair and followed her to the corner of the room. "What you need? All I ever think is about what you need, first when you were pregnant and now that you're not! Have you ever considered how hard this is on me and that I may need something too?" He yelled. "I need you to be safe. I need you to get better. I need you to stop shutting me out and pushing me away!" He slammed his palm on the big oak table. "She was my child too, for fuck's sake! I am in just as much emotional pain as you are!"

Tears flowed again. Veronica thought she couldn't make any more tears, but there they were. "I know how much pain you are in! I see it every time I look at you and I know that I'm the one who put that pain there because I lost our baby!" Her words came slower and lower as she began to cry harder. "And I know I'm not supposed to blame myself but I can't help feeling like the world's biggest fuck-up right now. So please, please don't fight me when I say I need to go do something that doesn't make me feel like a fuck-up anymore."

Logan stopped in his tracks. He was the one used to feeling like the one in their relationship who was always messing up. As far as Veronica was concerned, in his eyes she could do no wrong. He didn't think she could blame herself, still, after everything they knew about what could have happened to the baby. He dropped to his knees in front of his wife, pressing his head to her stomach and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You are not a fuck-up. Never in a million years could you be a fuck-up. If I have to tell you this every five-minute for the rest of your life so you believe me, then I will." He spoke in earnest, his voice resonating through her. The sound of her crying continued to stab him as he knelt, pressing his cheek into her now soft belly. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, hoping to miraculously transfer all her pain into him, so he could carry her burden for her. He felt her tears falling on his hair, and Veronica's fingers reach out to brush them from his head. Maybe this was finally the last time they cried, he hoped.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I feel myself pulling away and it's like I'm floating out of my body and there is nothing I can do to ground me to you." She let out a final gasp as she tried to control herself. "I love you so much. I don't want you to go. I don't want to leave you. I want to stay with you forever, if you can put up with me."

Logan smiled to himself. "There is nothing to put up with. I love you."

Veronica sniffled. "Marriage is hard."

Logan laughed and kissed her stomach. "Marriage is easy. Life is hard."

Veronica's mind took her back to a time when they first found out they were pregnant, and how Logan would lay and kiss her naked belly when they made love. "I just want to stop being reminded every moment of the day of what we have lost. Its only been a few days but it feels like forever."

Logan realized what he had done and mentally flogged himself for his actions. "I know. Everything reminds me too." He said and pulled away from her. He took her hand and guided her to sit on the floor with him, gathering her in his lap, wrapping himself around her. "How about this new plan: you do surveillance on Mr. Porter...with Wallace or Weevil as backup. We contract Weevil to do the easy one – Mr. Rivera. I'll follow Mrs. Laroche and wrap up my other cases, then we both head down to Berkley on Friday to fake party together all weekend and nab the Jefferies surveillance together. We haven't worked together like that in a while. It will be almost romantic." He said with a laugh.

She laughed and dried her eyes. "Okay. Deal. And only because I know you are worried about what crazy Duncan may do, if we are separated by a case."

He kissed her head. "Good. I'm glad we figured this out."

Veronica surprised him and moved in to kiss him gently on the lips. "I miss wanting to have sex with you." She said confided quietly. "I miss being connected that way. I think about how all I want is to make love to you but then I get scared and anxious and I know we can't and I really kind of don't want to really in the end and it bothers me that I don't want sex anymore and then I get sad. And I really hope one day that I will want to actually have sex with you again." She paused. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling."

Logan hugged her closer and kissed her head. "I know exactly what you mean. Overwhelming sadness can put a damper on one's sex drive." He felt her giggle a bit so he continued. "I mean, we haven't had sex AND I haven't felt like jerking off. Obviously, grief and misery are total buzz killers." Veronica let out a full laugh in spite of herself and shoved her hand into his chest playfully. "If this terrible sadness goes on any longer, one of my balls may explode."

She wiped her eyes as she continued giggling. "Stop it. We are supposed to be feeling horrible and you're making jokes about jacking off and exploding balls."

He rocked her slightly in his arm and leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips. "Yeah. But you're laughing instead of crying. So that's all that matters."

She shook her head. "You'll fit in well with the frat boys on Friday night. Just so you know, puka-shell necklaces and Henley shirts are not 'in' any more. And no hair gel either."

Logan let out a belly laugh. "See. You are now taking legitimately funny shots at me. I call this argument over."

Veronica caught Logan's face in her hands and planted a deep kiss on his lips. She felt his body relax into her and they kissed and touched each other softly, sitting on the floor for a minute or two, both enjoying reconnecting as best they could. When she finally pulled back and looked at him, his eyes were dancing. And while something like this would normally lead to hot make-up sex on the floor, under the table, today Veronica was just happy with the happy little tingly feeling she had in her heart.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Notes**_

 _ **Soooooo...some fluffy stuff...some romantic stuff...some head-canon stuff...some just plain silly stuff. Hope you enjoy it!**_

The drive up to Berkley was a long one, so Logan and Veronica decided to leave Thursday night, drive for a few hours to Bakersfield, find a room for the night, then head the rest of the way up the coast the next morning. Veronica actually relished the idea of leaving town, and everything that reminded her of the baby. Wallace was more than happy to loft-sit to make sure no one broke in to plant any bugs while they were gone.

Logan had packed a large variety of snacks to keep Veronica happy, and made a special "Road Trip" playlist for the drive. Veronica took care of the equipment they needed, but also packed her own camera to take photos along the way. By the time they jumped into the Range Rover for the journey, they were both slightly giddy.

The drive relaxed them and they talked non stop about cases, the scandal surrounding Neptune's new mayor, the ongoing presidential race, and whether Wallace would try and pass of their place off as 'his' to any women while they were gone. Veronica made them stop at a few places along the way to take pictures of the scenery, as well as her handsome husband, in the fading sunlight. When they got to Bakersfield, they were tired but happier than they had been in a while.

Instead of staying at one of the fancier hotels in town, Veronica convinced Logan to stop at a little Super 8 Motel, since they only needed a place to sleep. It was close to the highway and looked cosy, so Logan agreed.

While Logan unloaded the gear into the room, Veronica disappeared into the bathroom. When he was done, he flung himself onto the king sized bed, fully clothed. A few seconds later, Veronica emerged from hiding, wearing a pair of pink silk pajama bottoms and a matching camisole.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"Hey." Her husband responded, lifting himself up on his elbows to look at her.

She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed beside him. "I know we can't have sex, but I thought that maybe we could do some other things."

Logan sat up closer to her. She had the same look in her eye that she did when they were first dating, a combination of lust and fear. He brought his hand up and brushed her hair from the side of her face and tucked it behind one of her ears. "What did you have in mind?" He said softly.

She shrugged and looked down at the bed. "I though maybe we could just kiss...touch...maybe you can sleep naked beside me. We've both been wearing lots of layers to bed and I miss feeling your skin against mine." She explained, still not looking at him.

He smiled. "I've missed you too." He replied and pulled back from her a bit. Grasping the edge of his t-shirt and he pulled it swiftly over his head. Veronica looked through her lashes at him and took in his pecs. She reached out and placed her hand over his heart, feeling the glorious stretch of his skin over his muscles, running her palm over his chest, up to his shoulder and down his arm. She slid closer to him and moved her lips towards his. He met her and caught her up in a passionate kiss. His lips were so soft and tender that Veronica was momentarily overwhelmed by how much she wanted him; becoming hungry for more, she shifted to deepen the kiss. She felt him reach behind her and take her head in his large hand. She reached up and snaked her fingers through his hair. He let out a little groan and began kissing his way from her lips, across her cheek to ear, and then down to her neck, burying his face in the crux of her shoulder and neck, kissing and sucking her flesh gently. Veronica felt like she was going to go wild, but her fear surfaced again, causing her to pull back from her pleasure. They both stared at each other, their chests rising and falling in unison.

Logan saw her fear and reached out to caress her cheek. "We'll stop. It's okay." He reassured her. She nodded her agreement and looked at the bed. He smiled and stood up, pulling a bit of the covers back as he did. "Jump in." He said and she smiled up at him.

Her soft silk outfit slid gently across the sheets and she tucked herself into the tightly made bed. Logan kept his eyes on her as he undid his belt buckle and pealed off his pants and socks. He was wearing her favourite navy blue Hugo Boss boxer briefs, the ones that fit him just...so. His hard-on was straining against his pouch. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation of the full show when he suddenly slipped into bed with her.

He saw her brow wrinkle and he laughed. "You know my rule: if you don't come, I don't come. Right now, if I were to rub up against that silk set while naked at night, I would come. And I haven't come in my sleep since I was about fifteen, so I'm on a good streak." He wiggled under the covers and grabbed her around the waist, sliding her closer to him. When they were nose-to-nose, he kissed her gently, wrapping his arms around her and enveloping her in a bear hug.

Veronica exhaled all her anxiety and sunk into him. She felt his body next to her through the silk, thin enough to feel like a second skin, yet thick enough to cover the fact that she was still cramping and bleeding. She could feel the ripple of his chest and abs, pressed against her breasts and stomach, his hard cock tucked gently between the gap in her thighs. Logan ran his fingers up and down her back soothingly, every once in a while, stopping to linger on the curve of her bottom. She pressed her palms to his chest, feeling his heart in her hands. If they could stay like this forever, she would.

"This all just feels so weird." She said, an inside thought momentarily escaping her lips.

"What? This?" Logan asked, confused by her comment.

"Well, not THIS. This is good. Just this feeling I have of wanting to be with you but still scared." She grasped for an explaination. "It's kind of like I'm a virgin again. And I know I'm not, but it still has that feeling of wanting to have sex but being anxious and nervous about it too."

He smiled and kissed his wife's head. "Maybe you get a do-over." He replied and stroked her hair lovingly.

She laughed. "A 'do-over' with virginity? Okay. How is that possible."

Logan shrugged and she felt his shoulders move against her. "I don't know. We both know how you lost your virginity last time. Maybe this is your chance to have a special, romantic 'first time'."

When Veronica was a teenager, she always believed her first time would be roses and champagne and candles. The truth was much further off. "There was our first time together." She stated.

He chuckled. "You made me pull over and have sex with you in the car on the way to dinner, the night before you left for New York. We never made it to the restaurant. We barely made it back to my hotel room. Doesn't scream romantic first time..."

"Pffffffff...I had five orgasms that night. Who needs candles and roses when you have that." She teased.

"True, but your orgasms were all part of my nefarious plot to make you greedy for more of me." He said in a lecherous voice. When she looked up at him, he pantomimed twirling he tips of an imaginary moustache.

She gave a boisterous laugh. "It worked." She caught his eye and arched her eyebrow at him. "Our wedding night was romantic."

"Uhhhhh...you are clearly forgetting about how you straddled my lap in the limo after the ceremony and rode me all the way to our reception dinner. THAT was our first time having sex when we were married. Later that evening was romantic, but..." He laughed and grabbed her closer.

"Fine. You win. Great sex, not a lot of romance." Veronica rolled her eyes and shrugged. "You know, for everything we have ever talked about, you have never told me how you lost YOUR virginity."

Logan's smile diminished a bit. "I'm sure Lilly told you, once upon a time."

She made a confused face at him. "I thought Lilly was your first?"

"No, Lilly was not my 'first'. She knew the story and I always just assumed she told you." He said, his voice turning serious.

Veronica pulled out of his arms a bit to look directly at him on the pillow. "No. She never did."

Logan sat up on one arm and looked at his wife. "So when you were drilling me about prostitutes, back in college, you weren't fishing for information on it?"

Veronica's eyes became wide. "No. I wasn't. But now you have to tell me because I will obsess if you don't."

Logan took a deep breath and pulled away from her, laying on his back and putting his hands behind his head. Veronica scampered up and sat cross-legged beside him, anxious for the story. "Okay. I will tell you, but it's pretty brutal. Are you sure you want to know?"

She reached over and took her husband's hand. "I want to know. Good or bad, I want to know what happened."

Logan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, thinking back. "So, do you remember when I got my braces off when I was 14?"

Did she ever remember. In a weekend he went from gangly cute Logan to hotter than hell Logan. "I do. Your mom took you to L.A. to get it done. And you got your hair cut and a bunch of new clothes too." She looked down at his hand in hers. "Lilly wouldn't stop talking about you after that."

"Yeah, well, my dad couldn't stop talking about it either. Said I finally looked like a 'man' and not a boy." He opened his eyes and looked at his wife with sadness. "So a few weeks later, he flew with me to an upscale brothel in Texas. He pretty much handed me over to the women in the place and told them to 'teach me how to be a man' and then took off. I was with four different prostitutes that weekend." He closed his eyes again, not wanting to see the look of horror he knew was probably on his wife's face. "Except the joke, in the end, was on Aaron. Instead of just having sex with me, they actually taught me how to really pleasure a woman. A few weeks later, when he returned on his own, the girls were bragging to him about how good I was, because they taught me how to 'make love' not 'just fuck'." He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling, not at Veronica. "He told me this when he was beating me later, so I wouldn't get any ideas that I was somehow 'better' than him."

To his surprise, he felt his wife lean over and kiss him tenderly on the cheek. She lay her head down next to his. "Thank you for telling me. You could have told me sooner, you know."

He looked her in the eyes finally and smiled. "No. I couldn't. When I was younger I thought I was the luckiest 14 year old boy on the planet. Everyone else was jerking off into a sock and I actually had sex. It wasn't until I told a Navy psychiatrist about it, and he asked how I felt to have my virginity 'taken' by these older women, that I started to understand how truly messed up I was." He reached over and brushed Veronica's hair from her face. "Lilly found out about my brothel experience from Duncan and wanted me to show her everything I 'learned'. When I told her that it was you I wanted, she convinced me that you wouldn't want to be with me if you knew about the prostitutes...you were too good, too straight laced...that I should be with her because she had as much experience as I did and didn't care. Which was a big lie...she was a virgin when we slept together."

Veronica's mouth dropped open in shock. "But there were guys she talked about..."

Logan shook his head. "They fooled around, and did other stuff, but trust me when I say, she was a virgin the first time we slept together." His eyebrows raised.

Veronica joined her husband in staring at the ceiling, mentally recalibrating everything she knew from their teenage years in her head. They were quiet for a minute before she spoke. "Are you okay now...I mean...with that happened?"

"Yeah. I guess I'm as okay as I ever will be. But part of it has to do with you." Logan smiled and kissed her forehead. "Before you and I started dating in High School, it was always about sex first, feelings later. Because we waited so long to have sex, we had to connect in other ways. And it was quite possibly the healthiest sexual relationship I have ever had, even after we broke up."

Veronica rolled towards her spouse and wrapped her leg and arms around him. "Healthy is good." She whispered in his ear, nuzzling her face in his neck. "Maybe you need a do-over too."

Logan turned his head so the tips of their noses touched. Veronica giggled at the contact, and he playfully moved his head so they rubbed together. "Maybe I do." Veronica saw his eyes sparkle and she knew he was thinking about them together. "We should do it." Logan whispered back to her.

Veronica wrinkled her nose. "What? Lose our imaginary virginity to each other?"

"Yeah." He beamed at her. "We can't have sex until the doctor gives her okay. We'll wait until then. And then..." He kissed her nose. "...we will have a night together..." He kissed her cheek. "...unlike any other night." He kissed her neck.

Veronica's mind went into overdrive at the possibilities. She knew Logan could be wildly romantic and the idea that their first time together after the loss of their child could mean something more made her heart happy. "I'd like that." She replied, suddenly feeling like she dropped into a time warp and was a teenager again. She reached over and gave him a feathery kiss on his lips. His smile was so wide she though it would fall off his face.

"Perfect." He whispered. Veronica turned around in his arms and stretched out under the covers. Logan stretched with her, pressing himself along her from her head to her feet. That was the last they spoke until morning.

The couple indulgently slept in the next day, enjoying being away from their problems back home. They spent the morning cuddling in bed, talking and laughing until they decided to check out. Veronica was ecstatic when Logan pulled up to a roadside IHOP for breakfast and she binged on pancakes and bacon. The rest of the drive up to Berkley was relaxed, and the couple enjoyed driving with the windows open, music blaring, Veronica singing along with the lyrics. They felt lighter and more connected and Veronica happily held Logan's hand as he drove, easily showing her affections for her husband once more.

Another day of driving, another night at a motel, however, this one was much closer to Berkley campus. When Logan came out of the bathroom, Veronica was already dressed in her "Amber" outfit – jean shorts, Keds, and tank-top. She was still carrying some extra weight from the pregnancy, and on her tiny frame it gave her outfit bombshell curves. He let out a whistle and she paused while applying her makeup. "Don't forget to take off your wedding ring." She said, looking at him in his towel.

He lifted the hand that was holding the fabric around his waist and wiggled his fingers in the air, dropping the towel in the process. "Already done." He said with a big grin.

Veronica looked from his cock to his face and rolled her eyes. "You're terrible." She drawled and went back to applying her eyeshadow, still watching him in the mirror.

Logan shrugged and walked over to the bed where his clothes were laid out. "What? Just getting myself ready..." He said and pulled on his briefs. Veronica continued to watch his reflection as he donned a faded pair of designer jeans and a Berkeley t-shirt that hugged his muscles. He tied a thick leather cuff onto one wrist, then sat on the edge of the bed to slip on a pair of brown Birkenstock sandals.

Finished with her makeup, Veronica sauntered over to her husband and began fussing with his hair. "What are you doing?"

Veronica continued to run her fingers through his wet hair, brining his bangs down over his eyes and tossing it gently. "Trying to cover." She muttered.

He gently tapped her hands away with his. "Cover what?"

His wife looked down at him and frowned. "The widow's peak that you are getting. College guys aren't known for their receding hair lines."

He gasped and moved his body so he could see past her into the mirror. "What?! I'm not losing hair!" Then he started playing with his locks himself.

Veronica shrugged. "Okay. You're not." And turned to gather her purse. Just as she stepped away, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back onto the bed with him. She shrieked and squealed as he began tickling her. "OKAY!" She screamed with delight. "You're NOT GOING BALD!"

He released her and kissed her gently on the forehead. "See. That wasn't so difficult." He then stood up and reached onto the side table for his camera-watch, adding the piece of equipment to his wardrobe.

She lay there for a moment, enjoying their happiness together. This was when her heart was always full, when the two of them were completely partners. Logan gazed down at her and offered her his hand, which she accepted. When she stood, she went on tiptoes to give him a quick kiss, then went back to the mirror to affix her camera pendent around her neck, and gather her things.

Logan opened the door to the hotel room, letting in a blast of warm air. "Are you ready to party, Amber?"

Veronica giggled and skipped out the door. "You bet, Charlie!"

Kappa Alpha Delta was located just on the outer tip of the campus, although the music from the raging party could be heard ricocheting off the walls of buildings for blocks leading up to it. "Amber" held "Charlie's" hand as they walked up to the frat-house, past the groups of partyers on the lawn.

On the porch, two girls in sorority t-shirts sat at a table piled high with Solo cups in red and blue. At the sight of Logan walking towards them, the blond one slapped the brunette excitedly and they both got ridiculous grins on their faces. Veronica mentally prepared herself for the onslaught of giddy women, and cursed herself for forgetting her piano wire at home.

"Hi!" Blondie purred at Logan. "I.D. please." She said and put her hand out to Logan.

Veronica reached across and slapped her fake Berkeley I.D. into the girl's hand. "Oops! Sorry!" She giggled.

Logan smiled at his wife. "Here's mine." He said sliding his on the table towards Blondie, but not looking at her.

Blondie showed the I.D. to Brown-hair-girl and then handed them back. "Well, welcome Charlie. Red beer cups are $10...blue pop cups are $5."

"Just pop for me tonight, sweetie." Veronica giggled as she took her I.D. back. "I want to be fully coherent for our own PRIVATE party later." And she wrapped herself around Logan.

The girls made gagging faces as Logan pulled her close. "Well then, one beer, one pop, please." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a $20.

Brown-hair-girl wrote "Amber" on the blue cup and "Charlie" on the red one and handed them to the couple along with their change. "Keep these on you at all times. If you lose them, you have to buy them again. Only beer in the red and no mixing liquor in with your pop. And remember, never let anyone give you a drink that isn't working the taps and don't let anyone hold your drink, even for a moment." She said turning to Veronica.

"Yeah. Got that." She muttered and took Logan's arm. "Thanks ladies! Have fun!" She said with forced perkiness.

The house was packed with people. Logan took Veronica's hand and began snaking their way through to the kitchen. Sure enough, four kegs and every type of soda known to man, were set up for people. Logan handed his cup to the guy manning the tap. "Hey! You wouldn't happen to know a Kevin Jefferies would you?"

The burly keg guard nodded as he poured. "Yeah! I know Kev! He usually holds court on the couch during these things, talking to girls about philosophy and such." The guy laughed. "One of these days, it'll get him laid." He said and handed him his beer.

Logan took his drink and laughed. "Thanks man." He said and lifted his glass to him.

When he turned, Veronica was suddenly beside him with her pop. "So what's the plan?"

Logan put his arm around his wife's waist, making the men around them who were ogling her all look away. He leaned in and murmured in her ear, trying to make his words look sexy. "Find him. Then let me do the talking."

She giggled at the vibration on her lobes. "I can manage that."

They ambled through the crowd to the living room. Sure enough, Kevin was sitting on the couch, talking to a girl about something. He looked exactly like the photo his mother provided: long brown hair pulled in a man-bun, brown eyes, medium build, and soul-patch. The red head had the look of a trapped gazelle in her big eyes. As they got closer, Logan noticed Kevin's movements were frenetic as he talked and his eyes darted at bit from the girl to the room and back to the girl. He was either drunk or high or both. Logan dropped his hand off of Veronica and approached the young man.

"Kevin Jefferies! Man, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Logan bellowed and held out his hand.

The confused student held out his hand and shook Logan's. The red head saw her opportunity and bolted from the couch. Logan sat down in the spot she vacated. "Uh...do I know you?" Kevin said, glancing around. Catching Veronica's eye, she smiled and waived bubbly and sat on the arm of the couch behind Logan.

"You kind of do...I'm Charlie Lester. My mom, Carol has been friends with your mom, Dianne, for, like, ever! So when me and my girl, Amber, transferred here, she said to look you up and say hey!" Logan's enthusiasm was infectious and Kevin quickly caught on.

"Oh, hey! Cool man! Did you grow up in Neptune too?" He said, getting excited to meet some hometown people.

Logan shrugged. "Kinda did. But I went to boarding school in New York so I was only there during the summers. And Amber here is from San Diego." He jabbed a thumb in Veronica's direction.

Veronica waived and Kevin smiled and waived back. As he brought his hand down, he rubbed the back of his hand across his nose. "Oh, man...I miss Neptune. University isn't nearly as exciting."

Logan dropped his voice and leaned into Kevin. "Been here a few weeks, but these shit heads don't know how to party, you know what I mean."

Kevin looked around and dropped his voice, suddenly stone sober. "Fuck yeah. It's all just pot and beer."

Logan smiled greedily, seeing his opportunity. "Not like partying on the yacht at home. I've been on campus three weeks and I can't score any coke or heroin. What's up with that? Do the poor only smoke pot or what?"

Kevin looked up at Veronica and back to Logan. "You looking to party now?"

Logan arched an eyebrow. "Nah. I'm looking to score. The little lady likes to get coke'd up and fuck. Lets me do things to her that would make your eyes fall our of your head." He gave his new friend a wicked grin. Veronica heard what he said, bit her bottom lip and ran her hand through the back of his hair seductively.

Kevin licked his lips, obviously enjoying the picture Logan painted for him. "Come upstairs. I'll show you what I've got in stock." He said and stood up. Logan stood and grabbed Veronica's hand. Together, they followed Kevin up the stairs and all the way down to the furthest room in the house. Kevin unlocked the three deadbolts on the door and let them all in. The room was tiny, only a bed, a desk, and a dresser. Veronica touched her pendent around her neck, activating the video camera. On top of the desk was a mirror with several lines of cocaine drawn out. Kevin noticed her looking at them. "You want to start your party early?" He asked with a grin. "Just a little sample of my product for clients."

Veronica shook her head. "No. I prefer not having an audience." She stated firmly.

Kevin giggled and shrugged. "Worth a shot. How about you, Charlie. Do you want to partake?"

Logan looked at the line of coke and imagined how terribly good it once felt. How it killed his self-loathing, if only for a few hours. How if would probably kill the dull ache that was still in him right now. "No thanks, Kev. I'll save my partying for later too." He winked at Veronica who gave him a grin.

Kevin walked over to the dresser. "Suit yourself." He said and bent over the mirror, snatching up a straw, and quickly sucking up the white powder with his nose. When he was done, he reached for the top drawer and slid it open. "How much do you want?" He muttered, rifling around.

"An 8-Ball, if you've got it." Said Logan and reached into his pocket for his wallet.

Kevin pulled out a clear package of cocaine and held it up. Veronica noticed Logan snap a picture with his watch camera as he fiddled with his wallet. "$250." Kevin said and dangled the drugs in front of them. Logan pulled out the money and passed it to him. Kevin took the money with one hand and tossed the baggie to Logan. Logan caught it and shoved it in his pocket. Kevin held up his hand and made a fist. "Go Pirates!" He called and started laughing hysterically.

Veronica shook her head and reached for Logan's hand. "Yeah. Go. Pirates." She responded.

Logan extended his hand to Kevin. "Pleasure doing business with you, sir." He said and Kevin shook his hand. "Come on, babe, let's go start a party of our own."

Veronica reached around and slapped him on the ass. "Sounds like fun, honey buns." She said and the two quickly made their way out of the party and back to their hotel to download the video and photos they just snagged for their client.

Keith was on his fifth coffee of the day. He figured that this 8:00 pm caffeine rush should get him through until Duncan's usual bedtime of 11:00 pm. He adjusted his headphones and sat back in his chair to listen to the sound of Duncan reading reports in his office and talking to himself.

There was a knock on the office door and Duncan called for the person to enter.

The sound of heavy shoes crossing the floor was different from Weidmen's footsteps, Keith thought and leaned in to listen.

"Nice place ya got here, Mr. Kane. Great painting of your sister. Very lifelike."

Keith groaned. He knew that voice.

"Mr. Van Lowe. Please, have a seat." There was the moving of chairs. "Now, you said you have some photos I may be interested in purchasing."

Vinnie laughed. "You're going to love them. They are exactly what you need." There was the clicking of a briefcase and the sound of papers.

"Well, I hope they are as you described in your email. My men have been tailing Logan Echolls for weeks and they haven't come up with anything."

Keith's blood ran cold. What the hell was Vinnie up to.

"Well Duncan, if I can call you that...I feel I know you...these were from a year ago when Echolls and I were chasing the same bounty. You know how much I've lost on bounty hunting with him around? Millions! And he doesn't even need the money!"

"THE PHOTOS Mr. Van Lowe!" Barked Duncan, having no time for Vinnie's banter.

"Geez. Fine. Here. Five pictures; $2,000 each or $10,000 for them all."

There was the shuffling of papers and then silence. Keith sat on the end of his seat. Then Duncan's voice came through again.

"Mr. Van Lowe, these are exactly what I need. The $10,000 is yours." Keith could hear the happiness in Duncan's voice.

Mr. Mars put his hands over his eyes and leaned on the desk. "Oh, Logan. What the hell did you do?"


	11. Chapter 11

The drive home straight from Berkley on Saturday was long, and by the time Logan and Veronica walked into their loft, they only had the energy to change into comfortable clothing before collapsing into bed. The couple spent Sunday morning snuggling, then set about doing some thing around the loft, going out to buy groceries, and unpacking the car from the trip. When they arrived at Keith and Alicia's house for dinner that evening, they were feeling comfortably domestic.

Alicia greeted them at the door with big hugs. "Logan, sweetheart, why don't you go help Keith with the steaks while Veronica and I have some time together." She put her arm around Logan and started guiding him to the back door, showing he really had no choice in the matter.

"Uh, sure." He agreed hesitantly and made his way to the back yard.

Keith was standing next to the barbecue, a beer in one hand, a long spearing device in the other. Logan, sensing something was up, mentally prepared himself to be on the receiving end of the implement. "Logan! Good to see you, son. How was your road trip?" Keith smiled, putting down his beer and patting his son-in-law on the shoulder.

Logan exhaled. "Good. Got our evidence pretty quickly, so we were able to just enjoy ourselves. Get away from everything for a while."

Keith nodded as he listened, flipping the vegetables on the grill with his poker. "And how's Veronica doing?"

Logan ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay. It was good to leave town and work together." He leaned against the house and looked down at his feet. "It's been a few days since she burst into tears, so emotionally, she's doing better too."

"And how about you, son? How are you doing?" Keith asked kindly, putting down the poker and giving him his full attention.

"Good. I guess. Keeping busy helps. And Veronica feeling better helps my mood too." He smiled a bit to himself. "We were able to talk and just have fun. I feel like we're a couple again, and not just two wounded animals trapped in the same cage together."

Keith walked up Logan. "I'm glad to hear that, because you guys are about to have something thrown at you by Duncan."

Logan's face sank. "Sweet Jesus, what is he up to now?"

Keith took a deep breath before talking, trying to find the right words without becoming accusatory. "I overheard Duncan buy some photos of you from Vinnie Van Lowe, Friday night. Apparently, Vinnie took them when you were chasing a bounty. I don't know what they are or what he will do with them, but Duncan was pretty pleased with whatever they showed you doing, which can't be good." Confusion washed over Logan's face and Keith knew exactly what he was doing in his head. "Logan, is there anything that happened while you were bounty hunting that Veronica would think was...unseemly?"

The wind was knocked out of Logan. "You know what it's like on the road...you find yourself in some pretty crazy places; drug houses, whore houses, pay-by-the-hour hotels." Keith nodded, remembering his time on the hunt. "Anything that he has a photo of can be explained. I can't remember anything happening, but I never did anything with anyone, or to anyone, I swear!"

Keith put his hand on Logan's shoulder. "It's okay. The main thing is we know and we can prepare Veronica for it so she's not taken aback and caused even more stress."

Logan nodded silently, already in his head, mentally trying to beat the information out of himself. "I should go in and tell Veronica." He muttered.

"Alicia is already doing that. I wanted to tell you both separately so you could each deal with it alone before reacting in front of the other. Every time you both get upset, Duncan wins." Keith said and turned back to the grill to start pulling food off.

Logan turned and headed back inside, the words 'Duncan wins' echoing in his ears. Alicia and Veronica were a few steps away from the back door, in the kitchen, their backs to him, working at the island on salads and desserts. The sound of the door opening made Veronica turn. Seeing it was her husband, she immediately dropped what she was doing and threw herself into his arms.

"He won't come between us." She whispered into his chest.

Logan closed his eyes and buried his face in her hair. "I hope not." He responded.

The neon red numbers said 4:17 am. Veronica realized that Logan's side of the bed was cold. She sat up and looked around the loft. There was no light coming from under the bathroom door. He wasn't watching the iPad on the couch. Not fixing himself a snack. She saw the light to the elevator glowing. The gym. She rolled out of bed and stretched. She was back to wearing yoga pants and his ripped "Go Navy" t-shirt to bed. Frowning at the chill, she looked around and grabbed a small blanket that was laying across the back of their couch, then made her way to the elevator doors.

The whirring of the elevator mechanical didn't stop Logan in his mission. He heard the doors open and his wife yell across the garage. "What are you doing?"

He continued pummelling the heavy bag with all his might. "Beating...the shit...out...of...Duncan!" He yelled back.

Veronica began approaching him but he didn't turn around. The gym set up was in the far corner of the garage space and held just enough equipment to keep Logan happy. He was shirtless, only wearing his sports shorts, and barefoot. Sweat was pouring from his skin and he shone under the florescent lights. His muscles were flexing red and purple, indicating he had been doing this a while; his hair soaking wet and plastered to his head. She knew he wasn't just beating up Duncan in his head, he was beating himself; pushing himself physically until he was in pain.

Veronica came close enough to touch him gently on the shoulder and he finally released, panting and gasping for breath. He dropped his hands to his side and she saw that, even though he had taped them, his knuckles were bloody. He wouldn't turn to look at her so she walked over to the small fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. She tore the top off as she headed back to him and stood at his side. Gently, she took his right hand and lifted it up, seeing the mess of blood and bandages. She poured some of the cold water over his hand and he let out a gasp. She then unwound the tape easily and poured more water on the wounds. When she was done, she kissed his knuckles and dropped his hand. Raising her hand to him, he placed his left hand in hers and she repeated the process. This time, when she was done, she didn't let go.

"We'll deal with it." She said quietly, kissing his knuckles again. "Whatever he thinks he has on you, we will deal with it."

Logan wanted nothing more than to sweep his wife into his arms and make love to her on the mats below them. But instead, he settled for leaning down and giving her a passionate kiss on the lips. Veronica lost herself momentarily, and responded by reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck, dropping her blanket to the ground. He placed his mangled hands on her behind and lifted her; she snaked her legs around his waist, locking her ankles together behind him. Moving slowly, he walked her over to his Mercedes, parked a few feet away, and planted her down on the hood. She released her legs and lay back on the car, seductively. Logan stood back and laughed. Veronica had crazy bed head, in his ratty t-shirt, and she was covered in his sweat. She looked hotter than hell. "Let's remember this for later, Bobcat."

Veronica struck an exaggerated pin-up pose and stuck her tongue out. "What? Doesn't my morning breath turn you on?"

Logan gave her a lecherous grin. "EVERYTHING about you turns me on! That's the problem." He held out his hand to her and helped her off the car. "Let's go upstairs. I need a cold shower and some sleep."

Veronica wrapped her arms around his naked torso and kissed his moist chest, savouring the taste of salt on her lips. "Okay. You win this time." She smiled up at him and together they made their way back to the loft.

A day came and went and there was nothing from Duncan. Then a few days past. And then a full week. By the time Sunday dinner rolled around again, Logan was pretty sure this psychological warfare was part of Duncan's master plan to drive him insane. Every time a new client walked in the door, Logan was suspicious. Couriers delivering court documents to Veronica made him jumpy. And each phone call that was directed to her office, he wanted to put a glass to the wall and listen in. He had racked his brain day and night trying to think of something that could be in those photos, and he was still at a loss. He barely slept and his nerves were shot.

He thought Veronica was taking everything in her stride until Monday morning when he woke up to hear her crying in the bathroom. Climbing out of bed, he made his way toward his sobbing wife. Standing in the doorway, he saw her sitting on the edge of the giant bathtub, covering her face and sobbing. She must have taken a shower already because her hair was wet and she was wearing only black cotton panties and a matching bra. He came and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

"It's done. It's all over." She sniffled, a tiny hicup escaping her.

Logan was tired and confused. "What's over?"

She looked into her palms, as if she had lost something she could grasp. "I'm not bleeding anymore. It's done."

Logan was at a loss for what to say. Two weeks of feeling physically miserable; he thought she would be happy it was over. "I'm sorry." Was all he could think to say in his half-asleep state. She inched closer to him and he wrapped both arms around her while she continued to cry a little. He soon realized that the edge of the tub was the worst place to cuddle and gently leaned down and scooped his wife up in his arms. She was surprised and grabbed him around the neck. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Don't worry. Just moving us somewhere more cosy." He murmured and carried her off through the loft. When they reached the couch, he easily sat, still holding her like a doll in his arms, and kissed her head once more. "That's better."

Veronica took a breath through her tears. "It means we can try again soon. In a few weeks, we can try again." She said so quietly that Logan almost didn't hear her.

He sighed. "Veronica...I don't think that's a good idea."

She looked up at him with glassy eyes. "I've been reading online and it said there is no reason why we can't try again, as soon as the doctor says it's okay."

Logan's words spilled out without him thinking. "I don't think that's a good idea. We are both still emotionally healing. Just please, before you start making plans, let's wait to talk to the doctor and see what she says before you start hoping for another baby."

Veronica's mouth dropped open as she choked out her words. "You don't want another baby do you?" She jumped off his lap and stood over him, half-naked, hands on her hips.

Logan dropped back on the cushions, his hands going up to his hair in shock. It was way too early in the morning to be having this discussion. "Veronica, we haven't even talked to the doctor. Don't start planning things based on what you read online. Let's hear what she has to say after she checks you out again, before we decide on anything. Maybe this was something that just happened or maybe it's something...deeper...that's wrong. Either way, she needs to tell us when we can try again...IF we can try again."

He could see her anger start to rise and felt helpless against it. "That's not an answer to the question I asked. Do. You. Want. Another. Baby?"

Logan looked at his wife, his eyes full of emotion. "No. Right now, just, no."

"Well." Veronica muttered down at her husband. "So I guess that's that." He glanced up at her to see tears forming in her eyes again. "You don't want kids and you think I'm defective. Glad we got that out in the open." She turned on her heels and headed straight for her armoire. He watched as she tossed open the doors with a bang and began aggressively moving around things, throwing an outfit onto the bed, then slamming the doors shut.

Logan felt like he weighed a thousand pounds as he pulled himself off the couch and lumbered towards Veronica. "I never said you were 'defective'."

She shot daggers at him with her eyes. "But there could be something physically wrong with me that stops me from carrying a child. A child, it sounds like, you never wanted anyway."

Logan's anger surged out of him from a place he didn't know was inside. "Don't you DARE say that I never wanted our child! I said I don't want to try and conceive another child, but that could change. Just give me TIME to process things." He looked at the clock. It was 7:45 in the morning. "And let me fucking wake up before we start talking about this!"

Veronica pulled on the black pencil skirt she had tossed on the bed and began putting on her navy blue blouse. "Fine. You take all the time in the world. Go back to bed! Sleep all day for all I care! Me and my twisted and damaged uterus are going downstairs to work." She yelled back and stormed off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Logan collapsed on the bed and stuffed his head in a pillow, letting lose a steady stream of profanities. When he was done, he rolled on his back and closed his eyes. He really needed coffee before he opened his mouth again.

His thoughts of caffeine were interrupted by the sound of Veronica's heavy footsteps crashing through the loft, travelling from the bathroom to the door. He played possum as she put on her shoes, gathered her things, and slammed the door.

Maybe working would cool her off, he thought, then gathered himself together and went to make a big pot of coffee. He would give her some space and then go downstairs and talk to her when she had calmed down, he decided. And in the meantime, he would mentally prepare himself for the continuation of their discussion.

Veronica made a gross miscalculation in judgment. Running down to the cafe for breakfast and a coffee only made her feel worse, as she had to endure the sympathy stares from the staff and the insistent "I'm sorry for your loss" discussion with Millie. Veronica left feeling like she let down even more people by losing the baby, once again.

When she sat down at her desk, she had the urge to start throwing things off of it. This is what Logan must have felt like when he trashed his office, she thought, giving her husband some momentary empathy before remembering she was mad at him. With a big sigh, she turned on her computer and dove head first into her files.

Hours passed before Veronica looked up again. Her stomach started to indicate that maybe it was time for a lunch break soon. Stretching in her chair, she contemplated her options. Arching her back, she looked up at the ceiling, wondering what Logan was doing upstairs. They had spent so much time together lately that she missed him, in spite of beig mad at him still.

She eased herself out of the chair and made her way to the front door. Since they were technically closed, it was locked. As she approached, she saw an envelope lying on the ground a few inches from the entrance. It must have been slipped under the door, she thought. She wasn't expecting anything from the courier, or Cliff, or anyone else for that matter. She stood directly above it; looking down she realized there was writing on the outside.

 _"From a friend. You should know the type of man you married."_

Veronica's stomach turned. It was here. The photos from Duncan that she had been warned about. Bending carefully, she picked up the heavy item and stared at it. She wondered what to do...open it here in private or go upstairs and open it with Logan.

Pacing over to Sandy's desk, she took the scissors out of a drawer and deftly slashed the envelope open on one side. She quickly put away the weapon and slammed the drawer shut. Ambling back to the middle of the lobby, she pulled out the photos. A cry of pain fell out of her mouth as she saw the image on top.

Logan was leaning on a bar stool in what looked to be a brothel. There were women in skimpy outfits around the room, draping themselves over other men. But Logan was only looking at the woman in front of him, his eyes were serious with a certain gleem, and he wore a seductive smirk on his lips. Thw woman was tall, with dark hair and bronze skin. She was wearing high red heels and a short red dress. The woman was touching the top of his thigh with one hand and grasping a big pile of cash in his hand with the other.

Veronica felt weak. She lowered herself down on the couch as she flipped to the next image of Logan whispering something in her ear, her head thrown back, laughing. Her hand now completely covered the hand he had the money in. The next photo was of the woman standing between Logan's legs, running her fingers through his hair while he spoke, his eyes meeting hers.

There must be an explanation, the thought and prayed. Then she flipped to the fourth picture and tears erupted. Logan and the woman were standing outside of a door, down a long hallway, kissing. Veronica felt her heart fall out of her body and roll away. The final image was of the woman leading him by the hand into the open room, his expression serious, following her form inside.

Big, ugly sobbing escaped Veronica. There couldn't be an explanation for this. She saw it with her own eyes, the lust in his; the way he let the woman touch him so intimately. She looked again at the first picture, realizing from his hair style that it must have been a few years ago, when he was still used to being in the Navy and was keeping his hair shortly trimmed. He was wearing his biker jacket and she figured he must have been chasing a bounty.

Her mind kicked into self-destruct mode. That must be why he loved chasing bounties, she thought, so he could have sex with other women with her not around. His story about losing his virginity in a brothel; maybe this was a side of him he had kept hidden from her all the see years. Maybe this was his kink and being with her was all an act.

It was like a switch flipped in her; with her heart demolished, her head was now out for blood. An anger rose in her like she hadn't felt in years. Grabbing the pictures, she ran to the door, flying through it, and loudly locking it behind her.

Logan was showered and dressed for thr day, quietly editing the video and photos from the Jefferies case on his laptop, when he heard the door open and slam. He just had time to stand up by the table when his wife launched herself at him, slapping him hard across the face.

"You asshole!" She screamed in an unhuman voice. He had only a second to react as he saw her move to grab him. He intercepted her, catching her wrists. In one hand, there was a mash of papers. He looked at his wife; her expression was wild. Veronica's face was streaked with tears and there was hate in her eyes.

"How could you?" She moaned, her voice thick with pain. He let go of one of her hands and pulled the photos from her grip. She dropped her hands to her sides and watched his face change from confusion to recognition to sheer terror.

"Veronica...I can explain..." He began.

"Explain? You can explain flirting with a hooker in a brothel, paying her, kissing her, then going into her room with her?" She cried in anguish, her arms now folded in front of her protectively.

Logan tried to keep calm as he spoke. "I recognize the place. It must have been when I was chasing that guy...Sebastian...something or other. He basically hopped from brothel to brothel from here to New Mexico. I ended up paying a lot of women a lot of money to keep on his tail, NOT for sex!"

Veronica grabbed the photos out of his hand. Flipping to the one where he was talking to the woman, she shoved it in his face. "Really? Because I have seen that look in your eye, and it usually ends in sex!" She hissed. "How about this one where you are kissing her? How do you explain that?"

Logan dropped his eyes, not able to look at his wife anymore. "She kissed me. I didn't kiss her back. That was as far as it went."

"And you just went to her room to 'interrogate' her for information? Tell me, was it HARD to get her to cooperate or did the money help LOOSEN her up?" She snarled, fangs completely bared and out for blood.

Logan could feel himself shrinking from a man to a boy. His voice lowered to a whisper, tears threatening to erupt. "Please, Veronica. You need to believe me. Nothing happened. It was just an act, a role, a character I play when I'm chasing a bounty. It's not me. It means nothing."

Veronica rolled her eyes at the ceiling. "A role, huh. Maybe you need an Oscar too. I'm convinced."

There was silence for a moment as Logan absorbed her words. "Compare me to my dad. Nice. Well played, Veronica." He said and turned his back on her so she wouldn't see his heart break into a thousand pieces. He covered his eyes and laughed ironically. "I guess you were wrong. I guess there was something Duncan could do to come between us." He whispered, his voice straining.

Veronica put her hands over her eyes too, knowing he was right, but not caring. "I can't deal with you right now. I gotta get out of here."

Logan swung around. "No! You can't leave! We need to work this out. If you leave then Duncan will have won."

Veronica laughed. "Let him 'win'. I don't care. I just know that I can't look at you anymore." She took the photos and flung them to the ground. Turning, she ran to the door, grabbing her keys and purse without looking back. For the second time today, the door slammed.

Logan watched in silence as his wife left. Once she was gone, he sunk to the floor in shame, the remnants of his mistakes strewn on the around him.

Alicia continued working on the baby blanket while she listened to Duncan flip papers, knitting quietly while she filled her head with thoughts of all her children - the ones she gave birth to and the ones she took in. She had faith there would be a grandchild someday and continuing to work on it gave her peace of mind and something to do when she relieved Keith for his lunch break.

The sound of the door opening broke through her thoughts of children and babies. "Mr. Kane. I just got word from our servailence team." Came Clarence Wiedman's voice.

Duncan clapped his hands together. "Excellent! What happened?"

Wiedman cleared his voice. "At approximately 7:30 am, servailence witnessed an argument between Ms. Mars and Mr. Echolls. As per your orders, the package was dropped at approximately 10:00 am at Mars Investigations, but Ms. Mars did not intercept the package until almost 11:30 am." Wiedman took a deep pause then continued. "Servailence caught a larger argument between Ms. Mars and Mr. Echolls shorty thereafter which concluded when Ms. Mars left the building in her Range Rover. She looked...distressed."

Alicia's heart stopped. A chill went through her as she thought of what kind of evil they were dealing with in Duncan Kane.

Duncan clapped his hands loudly and laughed. "Excellent! This is perfect! Is the tracking device on her car?"

"Yes sir. If you open the app on your phone you can see where she ends up."

"Good! You know, it's a shame Veronica had to find out Logan was a lying, cheating basted this way. But I'll be there to help her." Duncan said and there was the shuffling of movement and the sound of footsteps as he left.

Alicia dropped her knitting to the ground and ripped of her earphones. "KEITH!" She yelled into the other room. "We need to find Veronica and Logan! NOW!"


	12. Chapter 12

No one answered their phone calls. Texts were unanswered as well. Keith was panic stricken as he marched up the steps to the loft. Banging loudly on the industrial metal door, he yelled at the obstruction. "Logan! Are you in there?!" He kept hammering until he heard the clicking of the locks being turned. The door opened slowly, revealing his stricken son-in-law. Keith paused to look at Logan; his eyes were bloodshot from crying, his face was white, except for a large red welt on his left cheek. Keith shook his head sadly and brushed past him, on a mission.

He walked along the large wall of windows in the loft, dropping the expensive rolling blinds down, making the entire place dark and industrial feeling. When he was done, he turned back to Logan. "What's across the street from you? Who works there?"

Logan ambled over to him. "I own the building. First floor is commercial, second and third floor I lease to the County to store document boxes. No one actually 'works' there. It has a special security system on those floors and the only time anyone is there is during the day when county clerks and Deputies deliver file boxes. And that's rarely."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Well, the program for the security was probably made by Kane Software. You are being watched and whomever is watching you is probably on one of those two floors."

Logan walked over to the closed blinds and shook his head. "Of course they are. We keep sweeping for bugs, but I never thought anyone could be watching us from across the street." He laughed to himself and rubbed his cheek. "Duncan will probably have the photo of Veronica slapping me framed and hung over his mantle."

Keith put his hand on Logan's shoulders. "Alicia overheard him talking to Weidman. Duncan was waiting for you both to get into an argument before he sent the photos, that's why it took so long. He was waiting to get to Veronica when she was feeling vulnerable." Keith dropped his head. "What did you argue about this morning, son?"

Logan's voice went hoarse. "The baby. A baby. She wants to try again in a few weeks. I told her I wasn't sure if I wanted to try again...ever." He took a sharp intake of breath. "In a month I have lost my child and my wife. I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Keith looked around the loft. Set out across the table were a series of pictures. He walked away from Logan and over to the display. Stopping at the first one, he picked it up and let out a deep sigh. Logan turned to see what he was doing then quickly turned back, unable to watch his father-in-law's disappointment. Keith walked around the table, following the photos in order, until they came to their conclusion.

"Logan..." Keith began as he stared at the photo of him following the hooker into the room.

"Please don't." Logan's voice was thick and strained. "I didn't fool around with her. I didn't have sex with her. I paid her for information on the bounty I was chasing. She kissed me, I didn't kiss her. That is the truth, but Veronica doesn't believe me. And now she hates me."

Keith put down the photo and rubbed his eyes. "She doesn't hate you." He said, trying to be empathetic, but missing the mark with his tone.

Logan turned and laughed. "Yeah. She does. I saw it in her eyes. She even compared me to Aaron. I'm pretty sure that's as much hate as she has in her."

Keith was torn. Even though he had sympathy for the pain Logan was in, Veronica was out there somewhere, feeling at least a thousand times worse, because of his stupid actions. "I need to find her, Logan. WE need to find her. Duncan is tracking her car. He plans on capitalizing on her distress and I'm worried that in her emotional state, he may have a chance of taking her away."

Logan turned and began walking towards Keith, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. He looked at it and held it up to Keith. "She hasn't stopped moving. After she left, I activated the GPS tracking on her phone. We both have it, as a safety precaution for cases, but she hasn't thought to turn hers off." He watched as her little red dot drew lines on his screen. "She is just driving around Neptune. She hasn't stopped for more than a few minutes before moving again."

"Well, then get yourself together, son. We have to find her before Duncan does." Keith gestured to Logan.

It was like Logan was hit by lightning as new enerty surged into him. His eye shone and his jaw set with purpose; making sure his wife didn't fall into Duncan's hands again.

Even though it was the afternoon, the sky was dark. A storm was brewing and Veronica imagined, as she drove around Neptune, that it was her own personal emotional black cloud following her. She stopped only once to refill her tank and buy a big bag of gas station food from the Gas n' Sip that became her 'lunch'. She felt ill, first from not eating, then from eating junk. She needed to stop driving, get out of the car for a while, and think what to do next.

That's how she found herself walking along the sand near a hidden area of the beach. The tiny parking lot held only a few cars, and at night it was usually packed with teenagers, making out in their vehicles. She remembered how Logan would bring her here and they would make-out until she thought one of them would burst. Her good thoughts suddenly became clouded as the image of him following another woman into her bedroom floated past.

She walked to the edge of the water and took off her shoes, letting her bare feet sink in the sand. The water was getting choppy and the wind blew her hair. She closed her eyes and breathed in the cool air, feeling it deep in her lungs. Opening her eyes, she imagined Logan out surfing the waves. How could she be so mad and so deeply in love at the same time, she wondered. She wanted to scream at him, shake him, slap him again, but at the same time, she wanted nothing more than to sink into his arms. Her head and her heart were once again at odds in her life.

She wasn't sure how long she had been standing there, minutes or hours, when the slight drizzle began. She stayed put, enjoying the cleansing drops.

"I can help you, Veronica." Came a masculine voice and two large hands suddenly grasped her by the shoulders. She jumped and turned around. Duncan was standing in the rain, his eyes full of concern. "Let me help you, please."

Veronica stood her ground. "Help me with what?"

"Help you escape this pain. I know you want to get away from the pain of losing your baby; from your husband's betrayal." He offered his hand to her. "I can help you escape."

Escape. Her head grasped the word and wouldn't let go. The idea of escaping from everything was seductive. "How?" She found herself asking.

Duncan smiled. "I have a cabin in the woods. You are welcome to stay until you know what you are going to do next. You can be alone and think and mourn and heal." He said and stepped closer to her, positioning himself by her side. When she didn't move, he wrapped one arm around her. "I will take care of you. You will never have your heart broken again." He whispered into her ear.

Veronica closed her eyes. In spite of everything she knew, she wanted to follow him so badly, if only to have a place to hide.

"VERONICA!" Her name travelled across the sand.

Logan was sprinting towards her, in the rain. She began to shiver at the sight of him. Logan reached the two and stopped abruptly. Putting his hand out to her, he spoke forcefully. "Veronica, please come with me. You know you are not safe with him, just please come home."

Duncan laughed. "Not safe with me? I'm pretty sure that you are the one she is running from. And I can keep her safe from you."

Veronica looked between the men. She wanted to run away from the pain inflicted by Logan's transgressions, but she knew that Duncan was not the safe place he promised to be.

She stepped away from them both, backing up towards the long stretch of beach. It was raining harder now and she was shaking with anger and cold. "I don't want to go with either of you! Duncan, you raped me when I was unconscious and told me I wanted it! Logan, you cheated on me and broke my heart! I just want to be left alone. Please. Just leave me alone!" She screamed into the ocean and then turned and ran towards the parking lot. As she reached her car a figure came out of Logan's Hummer. She stopped in her tracks.

Keith Mars walked out into the deluge towards his daughter. As he approached, she felt her emotions building inside. When they were face to face he spoke quietly. "Let's go home, sweetheart." The dam burst in Veronica again and she began sobbing. Gently, he took her keys from her hands and guided her to the passenger side of the car. She climbed in willingly and he slammed the door.

Turning back to Logan, Keith walked towards him in the sand. "GO HOME, LOGAN! DON'T LET HIM MAKE YOU DO SOMETHING YOU'LL REGRET!" He yelled, his voice carrying against the rain.

Logan turned to Duncan, who wore a satisfied smirk on his face. He would have liked nothing more than to beat that smile off of him. Instead he licked his lips and spat near Duncan's sandy shoes. Duncan's look changed to a death stare, his eyes full of rage. Logan grinned, knowing he had gotten to his old friend. Giving him a wave with his fingers, Logan turned and headed down the beach, back to his car. He saw that Keith had started Veronica's vehicle, but was waiting for him to leave before he left with Veronica.

Taking a last look through the windshield, Logan saw Veronica huddled for warmth in the passenger seat. She didn't make eye contact at first, but then she finally looked up at him, standing soaking in the rain. Memories of her bombarded him: the night he proposed, their wedding day, their honeymoon, the day she showed him that stick with the two blue lines. He filled himself up with her love again, just through her eyes. He held her gaze for a few moments more before Keith honked at him, jarring him back to the present.

Logan broke contact and climbed into the Hummer, starting the engine and following Keith out of the parking lot. But instead of going left, keeping up with Veronica's car, he went right and headed for home.

Just after midnight, Veronica awoke with a terrible thirst. All the salty food she consumed had dried out her tongue. And the crying didn't help either. When her father brought her back to his house, Alicia took over and plunged her into a hot bath to warm her up. Veronica then changed into one of Alicia's nightgowns and crawled into the guest bed. She fell asleep almost immediately, even though it was only late afternoon.

She looked over beside her. The other half of the bed was empty. She knew Logan wasn't there but somehow, she still woke up with a hope that he was. It was as if she could feel his presence as she slept and wished he would miraculously appear when she opened her eyes.

She crawled out of bed and padded barefoot into the hall. Poking her head into her dad's office, she realized the computer was on, recording night time activities in the Kane house, but Keith and Alicia were in bed as well. She shuffled to the kitchen and opened the door to the fridge. It was stuffed with food. She mused for a second how her and Logan's fridge was definitely not stuffed with food and that any child of theirs would have to learn how to order pizza by the age of five. Logan. Baby. Gone. She mentally cursed herself for bringing them up in her head and grabbed a bottled water. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Alicia came around the corner, a little shriek escaping.

"I didn't mean to scare you, honey. I just wanted to check if you were okay?" She said and moved closer to Veronica.

Veronica clutched her hard beating heart. "I'm okay, thanks. Sorry to wake you."

Alicia laughed and took a seat at the island. "Years of having two boys coming in at all hours trained me to wake at the sound of an opening fridge. Both Wallace AND Darryl would always head straight to the food when they got home after midnight."

Veronica laughed and leaned on the counter across from her step-mom. "Wallace has always been driven by a deep desire in his life...for food!"

Alicia reached over and touched her step-daughter's hand. "Are you sure you're okay? Keith told me about the fight you and Logan had before the pictures were delivered."

Veronica sighed. "I know in my head that he is right about waiting to have another baby, but when we were having the argument, it was like it wasn't me. Like I was just so determined to feel hurt that everything he said I twisted."

Alicia nodded, listening intently. "And what about when you saw the photos?"

Veronica groaned. "I know he loves me. I know, deep down inside, that he would never sleep with someone else. I actually get what he was telling me with his explanation. Lord knows I have done some crazy things when I was in the field. But in that moment..." She went quiet, thinking back to their fight. She began to tear up again. "...I didn't fight fair. I hit a man who was abused as a child. Then I pretty much called him 'Aaron'." She covered her eyes. "Even if I can forgive him for the photos, I don't know how I'll ever forgive myself for how I acted. Or maybe he'll never forgive me."

Alicia stood and came around the island. She put her arm around Veronica's shoulders and guided her to walk with her. Veronica opened her eyes as they crossed to the front window. It was still dark in the house, so the outside was clear. There, in front of the house, was Logan's Hummer, parked under a streetlamp. Veronica scrunched her face and looked around the living room, thinking he was there. Alicia shook her head.

"After Logan changed out of his wet clothes, he came back to take Keith to the loft for his car. Except he followed Keith home and parked himself outside and just sat in the car." Alicia looked outside and put her hands on her hips. "I took pity on him and brought him a pillow and blanket. He told me he was staying out there all night to make sure Duncan's goons didn't cause you trouble tonight." She jerked her head down the street to a black car, few houses away, with a person clearly sitting in it.

He was here. Her heart climbed out of hiding and filled itself with love. She had the urge to run out and see him, but as she began her movement, she balked. "I shouldn't go." Her head interrupting her heart. "The photos. He kissed someone else..."

Alicia sighed. "Veronica...just talk to him. You don't have to work everything out tonight. You were not completely in the wrong and neither was he. You were both imperfect humans, trying to do your best, at the worst time possible. But open the discussion again. This won't be solved in a few days, it may take months or years, but as long as you are talking, you have a chance."

Veronica caught Alicia's eye in the reflection of the window. Her eyes teared up. Alicia was right. Again. She was filled with love not only for Logan but for her family as well. "Thanks Mom." She said quietly and turned to hug the older woman. Pulling back, she saw the tears in Alicia's eye. She smiled and turned towards the door.

Sliding out into the chill of the night gave Veronica goosebumps. The moon was clouded and the porch lights cast strange shadows from her form. She was wearing a long cotton nightgown, and she cold feel her nipples harden in the cold. Crossing her arms over her chest, she ran, barefoot to the car.

Jumping onto the step to the passenger door, Veronica rapped softly on the window. Logan awoke from his sleep in the drivers seat with a jolt, his eyes wild and trying to focus. He threw off his blanket and saw her face in the window. He fumbled for the automatic door locks and opened her side. She jumped in and slammed the door behind her.

"Hi." She said with a grin, genuinely happy to see him.

"Hi to you." He said, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

She shivered a bit. Logan noticed immediately and tossed the blanket off of himself and around her. "It's cold out here." She said and snuggled under the warm cover. She noticed he had the back window open a crack for air circulation and a little breeze was blowing in.

Logan shrugged and yawned. "The rain cooled everything off." He stated.

There was a silence as they each contemplated what to say next. "Thanks for coming to find me at the beach." She blurted. "I wasn't really thinking too clearly."

Logan smiled shyly at her. "You once told me that you would always come and find me. Same holds true for me finding you."

Veronica's eyes became glassy at the thought of seeing him for the first time in nine-years, in disguise, hiding from people trying to kill him. "It's true. Nine years and I still came running to you."

Logan reached out and touched her face. "You know the stupid thing is, that in those nine years, even though we weren't together, whenever I was with someone, I always felt like I was cheating on you." He confessed. "Because you were always right there in my heart."

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his fingers on her face. "I know. I felt the same way."

Logan's voice dropped and she could tell he was reaching deep into his emotions. "I am so sorry for the pain I caused you. I'm sorry for being an idiot and not thinking what happened in those photos would ever matter. I'm sorry I've been a jerk about having another baby. I'm just greatly sorry for everything that has transpired over the last 24 hours."

Veronica opened her eyes and looked at him. She reached out from the blanket and touched the side of his face she had slapped. The colour had returned to normal but the emotional scar was still there. "I'm sorry I hit you. There is no excuse for it. You never, ever deserve to be hit. And comparing you to Aaron was just...terrible judgment on my part. I'm so sorry." She took a deep breath. "And I'm sorry for arguing about having another baby so soon, even though I know that you are right and we should wait."

There was silence as the couple contemplated each other's words. They suddenly both moved at the speed of light, lunging for each other, their lips connecting in the middle. Their kiss was as passionate as their argument and Veronica felt herself getting warmed from the inside, out.

Logan pulled out of the kiss first, gasping for air. "God, I love you Veronica Mars." He exclaimed and dove for her neck with his mouth. Veronica wrapped her arms around him and let her head hang back, granting him access.

She giggled as his stubble tickled her neck. "I love you too. I love you so much." She proclaimed. Pushing herself up on her knees, she forced him to let go of her neck. Seeing her opportunity, she scampered across the middle console and straddled his lap in the seat, wedging herself between him and the steering wheel. Making room for her body, she ground her pelvis down into his lap, eliciting a curse of pleasure from her husband's lips. She felt his cock harden in his khakis, through her cotton panties.

He tossed his head back as she ground her hips down again. "Fuck, Veronica! If you do that again I'm going to come." He groaned.

She pressed her breasts against his sweatshirt and moved her body along him. "That's the idea." She said and caught his lips again.

They made out like teenagers in the car, each one gasping and groping just enough to be enjoyable while neither was ready to commit to coming.

Finally, Logan came up fir air and pulled his hands away from her. "WAIT! There is a car parked down the block with one of Duncan's guys in it. He's probably taking pictures of this right now." He said and reached for the blanket to cover his wife.

Veronica arched her eyebrow at her partner. "Let him. Duncan likes to look at pictures of us so much, let's give him something that may cure his prying eyes." She pushed the blanket off her herself and began nibbling her husband's neck.

Logan laughed and slipped his hand across the front of her nightgown, grasping one of her breasts. "God damn it, I love you."

She groaned in ecstasy and looked into his eyes. "Shut up and pretend to fuck me." She giggled.

Keith Mars was wondering what happened to his wife. He wandered out into the hall to find the stove light on and his wife drinking the remains of a glass of red wine, sitting at the counter.

"Why are you awake?" He asked and wrapped his arms around her lovingly.

She put down her wine glass and wrapped her arms around her husband's. "Veronica woke up so we had a little talk."

Keith kissed his wife on the cheek. "Logan?"

She smiled. "Logan."

Keith released his wife and started walking towards the front window. "Is he still sleeping out..."

Alicia jumped off her stool and interrupted her husband. "I wouldn't look out that window if I were you!" She proclaimed.

But it was too late. There, in full view were his daughter and son-in-law, making out like teenagers in his car. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face, turning back toward his wife. "It was bad enough I had to go through this when they were younger! Really? They're in their thirties!"

Alicia wandered over to her husband and kissed him on the nose. "Just be happy they aren't fighting. And Duncan did not get between them."

Keith reached out and held his wife quietly, muttering something under his breath. The slamming of car doors made the older couple turn toward the window again. There was Veronica running across the yard, laughing, with Logan running after her. He intercepted his wife at the porch and grabbed her around the waist, kissing her neck. She put her finger to her lips to quiet him and she gently opened the front door.

The young couple slowly pushed the door open and tiptoed into the room, Veronica in bare feet, Logan just in socks. As they closed the door, Keith cleared his throat, causing them to jump.

Veronica crossed her arms in front of her chest and backed into Logan. "Hey dad." She said and giggled.

Logan looked down at her head, trying to hide his goofy grin, not able to make eye contact with Keith. "Hey." He muttered.

Keith rolled his eyes at them and let out a sigh. Alicia smiled at the happy duo. "A but cold out there, isn't it."

Veronica saw her opening and took it. "Yeah. Even with the blanket, Logan was freezing so I thought it was best if he came in with me and stayed in the guest room with me for tonight and then tomorrow we'll go home and get out of your hair." She explained, looking between her step-mom and father. Not really waiting for an answer, she reached behind her and found Logan's hand. "Goodnight!" She said and dragged her husband down the hallway.

"We have a lovely couch for Logan to sleep on, if you'd like!" Keith called out after her.

"Nope! We're good! Thanks!" Veronica yelled back.

"Goodnight!" Logan called as he followed behind his wife. The sound of laughter echoed as they closed the door.

Keith looked at his wife and frowned. "I know their married, but why do I still feel like my 18 year old daughter just took her boyfriend to her bedroom?"

Alicia laughed. "Because no matter how old they get, they will always be our 'kids'." She said and kissed her husband on the lips. "Come on, let's go back to bed."

Keith kissed his wife on the forehead. "You go ahead. I'll lock up and join you in a minute."

Alicia smiled and headed down the hallway. When she was gone, Keith walked to the front door and went onto the porch. He looked down the street at the surveillance car. Suddenly, the vehicle roared to life. The lights were blinding as it drove past him. Keith watched it disappear and then went into the house, locking the door behind him. Turning off the lights in the kitchen, he paused in the darkness, lost in a thought. He chuckled to himself and let out a breath. "Well kids...let's see how Duncan reacts to those photos tomorrow." Then he went to join his wife in their bedroom


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Notes:**

 _ **Trigger warning: sexual abuse of a minor**_

 **(Yep...he's a monster.)**

Keith sipped his coffee and leaned back in his chair. From his office, he had a clear view of the guest bedroom door and neither Logan nor Veronica had made a move to come out. It was now 10 am and he had already reviewed the over-night audio from the Kane mansion and was on his second cup of coffee while he listened live to the feed. Other than listening to breakfast chatter and Duncan's side of several boring phone calls, there was not much happening.

Finally, the door to the bedroom opened and out stepped his slightly dishevelled son-in-law. "Good morning!" Keith happily greeted him.

Logan turned and smiled at Keith, a big toothy grin. "Good morning! Listening to anything fun?" He said, scratching his hair.

Keith shook his head. "Nope. FYI - You and Veronica missed breakfast by a few hours. Alicia had her volunteer work with the Boys and Girls Club today. So feel free to raid the fridge for anything you want. Coffee is still hot."

"Terrible bed and breakfast service!" Came Veronica's voice from behind Logan. "I will have to give you only one star on my Google rating!" She continued and poked her head in the office with a grin.

Kevin shook his head. "Ha ha. And for you young lady, Alicia left a long summer dress for you to wear home. Your clothes from yesterday will have to be dry cleaned."

Veronica shot her finger at Keith and made a clicking sound with her mouth. "Thanks Daddy-o. Have I mentioned that the best decision you ever made was to marry Alicia? I mean...besides having me."

Keith laughed. He opened his mouth to retort when he heard Wiedman's voice in his ear. He quickly turned towards the computer and yanked the headphone out of the jack. The sound of C.W.'s voice filled the room.

"...transmitted photos to me last night. It took me some time to print them, Mr. Kane."

The sound of a moving chair and footsteps filled the room. Logan and Veronica walked closer to the computer, taken in by the sounds. "Well, hand them over! I can't get enough of those pictures of Veronica screaming at Logan. Let's see her give it to him again."

"Interesting choice of words, Mr. Kane...I should warn you..."

There was the sound of rustling paper.

"...they aren't fighting."

Logan wrapped his arm around his wife, pure glee in his eyes, knowing what the photos contained.

A loud yell filled the room and the sound of ripping papers. There were footsteps and then the sound of shattering glass. Veronica jumped a bit and her heart started to beat faster.

"How can she be with him, knowing what he did?" He bellowed, his voice filling the room. "He slept with a hooker and she still took him back!"

Weidmen's voice followed. "Sir. I mentioned that it would be difficult to break them up."

"Shut up! Logan Echolls has brainwashed her! He has her thinking I raped her, for Christ's sake! I have to save her from him." He growled.

Veronica turned and put her arms around Logan, suddenly terrified of what would happen next.

"If you kill him, she will have nothing to live for and kill you or herself." Came C.W.'s voice, full of concern, but not necessarily for Duncan.

"Pfffftttt...I'm not going to kill him. I want him to live and feel the agony of losing her again. I need him to live a long and healthy life, knowing that I stole the woman he loved back from him. That's worse than any death imaginable." Laughed Duncan.

Logan scowled. "Well, it's nice he wants to keep me alive." He interjected into the remote conversation.

Weidmen's voice was thick with frustration. "So then if you are not going to leave them alone, then what IS your next move?"

Silence filled the room as they waited for Duncan's answer. "Keep up surveillance. I know they caught on to our position across from their loft, but I still want them tracked. I will think about my next move."

Weidmen let out a sigh. "Now if you'll excuse me, Mr. Kane, I promised Miss Kane and Mrs. Williams that I would provide security for their outing to the Neptune Art Gallery today." There was a pause. "And I will arrange for someone to come and fix the broken window as well, sir."

"Alright. Thank you for going with them. I worry about Lilly when she is out alone with her tutor. Some crazy person could kidnap her for ransom at any time." Duncan's voice was full of concern for his daughter. There was the shuffling of papers. "And dispose of those pornographic photos as well. It's disgusting."

Keith looked over at the couple. Veronica had her face scrunched up, trying not to laugh. Logan was looking away from Keith, keeping his eyes on the ceiling and smiling.

There was the sound of footsteps and the door opening and closing. There were more footsteps and the rustling of papers. Keith plugged the headphones back in and put one to his ear to monitor things again. "Well, was that the reaction you were both hoping for?" He sighed.

Veronica got an evil look in her eye and she grinned. "Better."

Veronica and Logan had showered and had their first cups of coffee at Keith's house, but decided to go out for breakfast and then come home to change before coming into the office that afternoon. They let Sandy know their plans and she happily informed them that she and Mac would take care of anything that came up. They left Veronica's car with Keith, as he offered to locate and remove the tracker Duncan had placed on the vehicle, and both took the Hummer home.

When they arrived there was a moment of silence as they got off the elevator. The closed blinds cast dark shadows over the loft, punctuated by sharp lines of light. Logan had removed the photos from sight when he returned the day before. Everything seemed strangely haunted by their fights the previous day. Veronica reached out and took Logan's hand. She kicked off Alicia's flip flops and led him across the space to their bed. She let go of his hand and crawled in, reaching out for him. He slid off his shoes and slid into her arms, putting his head gently on the side of her chest, and wrapping his arms around her.

"Maybe we can see someone." Veronica said out loud.

"Ummm...like who?" Replied her confuse husband.

She started playing with his hair nervously. "Like a marriage counsellor. Maybe he or she could help us with some of our problems." She said quietly.

"We could do that." He said. "I would be more than willing. You know, therapy has helped to make me the well adjusted man I am today." His tone was slightly teasing.

She pinched his arm playfully and he laughed. "Well, I have never been to one. Unless you count Becky-with-the-good-hair, in High School, as therapy."

Logan moved his hand over to her stomach and lay it in the now convex valley. "Do you know why I don't want to try for more kids?" He said quietly.

She brought her hand on top of his. "Tell me."

"In my life, I have lost my parents, my first girlfriend, and my best friend. All dead. I never, ever, thought that we could lose a child. It just seemed too horrible to think about." He took a deep breath. "But now I think, what if you carry a healthy child to term, and he or she lives a happy life with us for a while, and then one day, on the way to school, some lunatic shoots them. Or they get some terrible disease that can't be cured. Or we are in a car accident and they die. How do you go on after that? We are barely surviving the death of a child we never got to meet. How do you survive that?"

Veronica was at a momentary loss for words. "I guess, we just can't think about that." She said slowly, choosing her words. "If we let fear guide our lives then we wouldn't be where we are now – together and married and building a life as partners." She paused to think a moment "Maybe we just have to make each day count with our child. I mean, one day they will leave us for college or to go and travel or to have a family of their own. I guess we just have to try and make every day the best day we can until the day when we have to set them free. And then we can look back without regret...just love. And hope they feel the same way." She kissed the top of her husband's head. "All I know is if you show our kids half the love you show me, then they will be the most loved children on the planet."

Logan let out a sigh. "Good answer."

Veronica laughed. "That's it? That's all you have to say to my amazing universal wisdom?"

He made a claw with his hand and tickled her stomach. "Oh, great and brilliant wife! You are extraordinary! You have convinced me! Let's make so many babies that I will keep you knocked up every nine-months for the rest of your life!" Veronica screamed with laughter. Logan released her and drew her up into a deep kiss. "Okay. You have somewhat convinced me that maybe we can possibly try for one. In a few months. Or a year. Just, see what the doctor says first though before we both get our hopes up again."

Veronica sat up and looked into her husband's big brown eyes and smiled. "Alright. I won't get ahead of myself. We'll wait and see what the doctor says before anymore talk of babies. And maybe we'll see a counsellor first." She got up and went to her dresser, her back to her husband. Opening the top drawer, she pulled the summer dress over her head revealing she was wearing nothing underneath.

Logan gasped. "You were commando this whole time and I didn't know?"

Not turning around, she stepped into a pair of beige lace panties and began strapping on the matching bra. "I was in that other underwear for almost a day and a half. I threw it out and decided to go au natural." She turned around when she was done, blowing a kiss at her husband. "Four weeks!"

He lay down, spread eagle on the bed. "This is worse than when we were teenagers. Back then, I could just IMAGINE how good it would be to have sex with you. Now I KNOW how absolutely, fucking amazing it is and it's killing me."

She came over and leaned across the bed. "Well, work will distract you from your hard-on. Get dressed!" And kissed him on the nose, then pulled back and wandered over to her armoire to get dressed.

Logan let out a frustrated sigh. After their make-out session in the Hummer last night, he realized there were going to be a lot of cold showers in his future.

Keith was ready for bed. It had been a long day, even with Wallace coming over to take a few hours of surveillance so Keith could find the tracking device on Veronica's car.

He had hoped that Duncan would be going to sleep soon when a knock came on his bedroom door.

"Come in!" Called out Duncan's voice.

"You said to come and see you now?" Said a young voice with an Australian accent.

"Yes, Lilly. Right on time. Come here."

The door closed and there was shuffling sounds. All the hairs on Keith's body stood on end.

"It looks like you will have to do this for a little while longer, Lilly. Veronica can't take over yet, so it's up to you to kept Daddy happy, alright."

Keith covered his mouth with his hands. This couldn't be happening. He was going to be sick.

"Alright, Daddy." Came the teenager's voice, small and scared.

There was a pause. "You look so much like your mother. She was so beautiful too."

There was the sound of kissing and Keith became frantic. There must be some way to stop this and save the girl. Phone the police? Phone the mansion? Someone needed to stop this monster.

The sound of a door knocking made everything freeze. "Mr. Kane? Is Lilly in there? I went to check on her and I can't seem to find her." Weidmen's muffled voice came over the computer.

Keith exhaled. "Please, god, make him stop." He said out loud.

Duncan's voice was angry. "Yes! She is in here." There was a pause. "We are making plans for surfing this weekend."

Weidmen's voice was still muffled. "I promised Lilly today that I would help her with her homework on the U.S. government structure. I was looking for her so we could get it done for her test tomorrow."

There was another moment of silence that lasted forever and then shuffling. "Go." He said out loud.

There was more shuffling and them the door opening. "Thank you for your help, C.W.!" Came Lilly's voice frantically.

Weidmen's voice was clearer. "My pleasure. Good night, Mr. Kane." He said and the door shut.

Keith colapsed back in his chair. "Wiedman knows." He said, shocked. He began pressing buttons on the computer until he found their voices in Lilly's bedroom. She was crying.

"I promised you in Australia that I wouldn't let him touch you anymore and I will make good on the that promise." Wiedman's voice was low but strong.

Lilly choked on her words. "He said that he would stop when he had Veronica."

"That's not going to happen. And even if he has her, it doesn't mean he will forget about you. Your father is a very sick man. I had hoped if I brought you here with him, Jake would have dealt with him, but now I'm not sure what to do."

Lilly began to cry again. "Thank you for protecting me. I don't know what I would do without you."

"I will protect you. If I have to sleep on your floor every night, I will protect you."

Keith took off his headphones and covered his face for a moment, absorbing everything. Letting out a deep sigh, he realized what he had to do. "I may be able to help you protect Lilly, C.W...and Veronica too." He said out loud and turned off the computer for the night.


	14. Chapter 14

The text from Keith said for them to come and pick up Veronica's car at 9:00 am, and that they all needed to "talk." Logan didn't like the sound of that, but Veronica assured him it was probably nothing.

When Keith opened the door, it looked like he hadn't slept all night. He had shaved and showered that morning but he still seemed haggard. "What's wrong?" Snapped Veronica, before she even said hello.

Keith pulled the door wider to let the couple in. "Have a seat in the living room. I have something big to tell you."

Veronica reached for Logan and they crossed the house and sat together on the couch. Keith chose to stand, pacing a bit before talking.

"I found something out last night about Duncan." He began, choosing his words carefully. "I debated even telling you but you need to know so you both know what we are dealing with." He stood still and stared at the couple, fear in his eyes.

"Dad, just tell us, please. You're scaring me." Said Veronica, her eyes wide and her fingers digging into Logan's palm.

Keith closed his eyes, what he heard last night coming back in his head like a nightmare. "Duncan is molesting Lilly." He said quietly. "I overheard it last night."

The words hit Veronica like a wave. The first crash knocked the wind out of her. The second made her sick. Jumping up from her seat, she dropped Logan's hand and ran to the kitchen sink, where she lost her breakfast. Logan was behind her a few seconds later, taking her hair back from her face and rubbing her back. When she pulled her head up again she was sobbing.

"I helped him take her away from Neptune!" She cried. "I handed that poor, sweet baby to a MONSTER!"

Logan quickly wrapped her in his arms. "You didn't know he was capable of this. No one would guess he was capable of this." He said, still in shock.

Keith walked into the kitchen. "Don't you DARE take this on yourself, Veronica. This man IS a monster, but there was no indication that he would be like this when you were younger."

Veronica laughed ironically. "How about raping me when I was unconscious. That's pretty deranged. If only I recognized that he was lying to me back then, I wouldn't have gone back to him and helped him take Lilly away." A fresh round of angry tears sprang up. "Someone needs to stop that asshole. Someone needs to do something, now!"

Keith put up his hand. "Veronica, I know how upsetting this is, but we need to talk and come up with a plan. Come and sit down. There is more I have to tell you."

Veronica got a hold of herself and let Logan lead her back to the couch. Her head was filled with both rage and sorrow as she tried to focus on the task at hand.

Once they were settled, Keith sat down with them and continued. "There is one person protecting Lilly right now – Clarence Wiedman. He interrupted Duncan in his bedroom and rescued Lilly before a lot more happened. From the sounds of it, he has known about it since they lived in Australia. That is why he was working to bring them back to the U.S. before Jake was killed; he wanted Jake to take care of the situation." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Except it sounds like Wiedman doesn't know what to do, now that Jake is gone."

There was silence as everyone contemplated their next move. "We have to reach out to C.W." Began Veronica. "He needs to know that someone else knows and can be an ally in trying to protect Lilly."

"You are right, but I need to be the one who talks to him." Corrected Keith. "One of the reasons I am telling you this is because I want you to know that Duncan truly is operating without morals or filter. He could do anything at any time to you or Logan. A man that would do that..." He choked on his words. "...to his own daughter is capable of anything."

Veronica and Logan knew he was right. He slipped his arm around his wife and kissed the side of her head. "We have to go into this with our heads, not our emotions." He said quietly.

Keith nodded. "Exactly. Now, I have been up all night trying to think of some way to take Duncan out of the picture: frame him for something, ship him off somewhere, anything to get him away from Lilly. My tapes would be inadmissible in court and I'm pretty sure Lamb can be bought. Any other ideas?"

Veronica's brain kicked into overdrive. She leaned forward, towards her dad. "Okay...first things first. We need a burner phone so you can contact Weidman without it being traced. Mac can delete the records so it can't be connected to Dad if something happens later on." She looked from her Dad to Logan and back again. "Set up the meeting with Weidman somewhere we control, but he doesn't know we do."

Logan smiled. "The Purple Onion?"

His wife smiled back. "Exactly."

Keith frowned. "The strip club off the boardwalk? How do we control that?"

Logan laughed. "I own it. Correction...Dick owned it and now I own it. We have used the VIP room several times for meetings. It's safe – the bouncer checks people for weapons. No windows, one door. No one notices you because it's so dark. And no recording devices allowed."

"Fine. This is good." Said Keith, starting to formulate a plan in his head.

"What is your best-outcome/worst-outcome for this, Dad?" Veronica asked.

Keith rubbed his tired eyes. "Best outcome: Weidman agrees to help send Duncan away for a long time. Worst case: he makes one of us take the fall for setting Duncan up." He looked at his daughter, his face deadly serious. "I know he wants to help Lilly, we just have to make sure none of us become part of his plan."

Veronica nodded. Logan took his chance to speak. "What about Veronica? Did he say anything about her?"

Keith dropped his gaze to the floor, unable to look at his daughter as he spoke. "Yes. He mentioned her. He told Lilly that he was doing this to her because he didn't have Veronica to keep him 'happy.'" He rubbed his face with his palms and continued. "Which makes me think that his plan for you is driven by some deviant sexual impulses. So we need to make sure he doesn't get anywhere near you."

Veronica closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her argument with Duncan all those years ago, at his front door, flashed through her head. His revelation that he had sex with her, even though he thought she was his sister. Deviant impulses indeed, no matter how stoned and drunk he was. "At the time he raped me, he was still under the belief that I was his half-sister. I think we can safely say that he is not above thinking incest is okay." She said out loud.

Everyone thought about her comment for a moment. She was right. The signs were there, all those years ago. This was just the final act of this terrible Greek tragedy.

"We need to go away." Interjected Logan into the silence.

Veronica turned to her husband. "I can't. Now that I know what is happening to Lilly, I can't go away." Logan opened his mouth to speak but she started talking again. "Please. We have argued enough in the past two days. I don't want this to be a fight. I will not go out alone. I will have you or someone else with me at all times. I will swallow a GPS device. I will check in with you every half hour. I will do everything I can to be safe, but I can't leave. Not now." She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. He was frowning.

"Fine. We won't fight. But promise me that you won't do anything on your own to try and 'handle' this." Logan grumbled.

Veronica smiled. "Thank you. I promise, I won't try and handle this." She turned back to her father. "Dad...go to sleep. We'll go back to the office and arrange things with Mac, then come back with the phone in a few hours."

Keith nodded. "Okay. Alicia is out running errands. I have the system recording the Kane mansion. Duncan is currently out, as is Weidman...but they are not together." He took a deep breath. "Call me and wake me up before you come back. And bring coffee."

Veronica rose and came around to her father and kissed his bald head. "I love you, dad." She said, looking down at him.

He took her hand and kissed it tenderly. The thought that Duncan had touched his daughter filled him with a rage that was indescribable. But he would never let her see it. "I love you too. See you both soon."

Logan got up and gave a small salute to his father-in-law before taking Veronica's hand and walking out the front door.

Keith leaned back in his chair. He thought about how far he would may need to go to protect his family from Duncan. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he may need to take the law into his own hands.

When Veronica and Logan returned later that day, with the equipment and coffee, Keith was rested and back at the computer. Veronica sat in the other chair near the computer, listening on the headphones with one ear, while Logan leaned against the wall close by. Keith sat, staring at the text display, mentally composing what to write to Weidman, who was currently discussing Kane Software business with Duncan.

The work conversation ended and the tone of Duncan's voice changed. "I'll be going up to the cabin tomorrow to check on the supplies in the refrigerator and bring some more items for Veronica's stay."

Veronica's heart went cold. "They're talking about me." She said in a monotone and unplugged the headphones so everyone could hear.

"Sir. I thought she rejected your offer to stay with you there."

"Once she sees how beautiful it is, she won't be able to leave. I just have to get her up there." He paused. "You've been very helpful thus far, C.W. but I think I need to do this myself. I have a plan that I have set in motion with some of the contacts you gave me. I think you need to focus on the business and keeping Lilly safe. I'll take care of Veronica."

Panic began to rise in Weidmen's voice. "What are you planning to do, Mr. Kane?"

Duncan laughed. "Don't worry about it. You have other concerns right now." He said and moved his chair. "You can go."

"Shit." Muttered Logan. "He's now operating without Weidman keeping him in check." He walked over and put his hands on his wife's shoulders.

Veronica plugged the headphones back in, her hand shaking slightly. Not making eye contact with anyone, she quietly put the headphone back on and continued listening to the rustling of papers.

"We need to end this. Quickly." Keith said, looking from Veronica to Logan. He then looked down at the phone and began to text.

 _ **I know about what Mr. Kane is doing to his daughter. I can help make it stop.**_

He let the text sit for a moment. There was a response almost immediately.

 ** _Who is this?_**

 ** _A friend. We need to meet._**

 ** _When and where?_**

 ** _The Purple Onion. 17:00. No weapons. No cell phones. No listening devices. Tell them you are there for a 'meeting.'_**

 ** _Fine. I will meet you then._**

Keith looked at the couple. "Meeting Weidmen at the club at 5:00 pm."

Logan nodded. "I'll set it up." He said and looked down to Veronica.

Veronica was listening so intensely that she didn't notice the men talking. Logan tapped her on the shoulder and she looked up. "He's texting someone. His alert keeps going off every minute or so." She turned to Logan. "Whatever he may be planning for me, he may be arranging outside the area we are monitoring."

Logan nodded. "Then we step it up. I'll call the club to arrange the meeting, you call Mac and get her to hack into his texts, and let her know she can erase the conversation between your dad and C.W."

Veronica handed her headphones over to Keith, her eyes were sad and serious. "Okay. I'll call her from the other room." She stood and picked up her purse. Walking past Logan, she lowered her head so he wouldn't see her expression, allowing herself to get lost in her own mind. Logan made eye contact with Keith, both of them knowing that Veronica overthinking things could mean trouble.

The couple were gone a few minutes, allowing Keith to continue listening to the silence and contemplate his meeting that evening. Logan returned first. "Everything is arranged at the club. If you show up at 4:30, the manager, Seth, will meet you and show you the room."

Veronica came around him. "Good. We can get there around the same time and wait in the office." She said, standing beside Logan, her arms crossed.

Keith swivelled his chair towards the couple. "No. You can stay at home and I will call you when it's done." He said, carrying his best 'dad' tone in his voice.

Veronica stepped forward. "Dad..." She started.

Keith Mars stood, his face growing angry. "Do NOT fight me on this, Veronica!"

Veronica took one step toward her father, setting her shoulders back for a brawl. "I need to..."

"NO!" Keith barked, making her jump slightly. "I will only involve you as needed, other than that, stay out of my way, do you hear me?"

"I want to but..." She tried again, narrowing her eyes for the push-back.

"For Christ's sake, Veronica! I said NO!" Keith stepped up to her, his voice vibrating with anger. "I have already lost my grandchild, I will NOT lose you too because of this man! This disgusting human being will not touch you or any other girl again, when I am done with him! But you need to listen to me and stay out of this!" He screamed.

Veronica was too shocked to react. She wanted to cry. She wanted to run. She wanted to crawl into a little ball and hide. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered. "I'm sorry dad. I'll stay away. I promise. You won't lose me."

Keith wrapped his arms around her, tears springing to his eyes. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too, Dad." She responded, her heart pounding in her chest.

After a minute, Veronica pulled out of the embrace. "We'll go home. Call me when you are done, just so I know you'received okay?" She asked and kissed him on the cheek.

Keith nodded, too emotional to speak any more. Veronica turned and extended her hand to Logan. He took it, his face deadly serious, and nodded to Keith. The couple then headed through the house and out the front door. They both quietly climbed into the Range Rover, with Logan in the drivers seat. Only once the doors were locked did she exhale loudly.

"Fuck." She intoned and leaned back.

"Ditto." Responded Logan.

"Now what do we do?" She asked. "I may go insane in the next few hours, waiting to see how the meeting goes."

Logan arched one eyebrow. "I have an idea." He said with a grin and started the engine. Veronica scowled. What was her husband up to now?

Veronica's crotch was inches away from Logan's face. She was breathing hard and she could see the sweat on his brow.

"Had enough?" She looked up and asked, twisting her legs harder around his neck and chest.

"Have you?" He gasped, still attempting to wriggle out of her powerful hold.

"Yes." She said and released her legs. He dropped on the workout mat. She lay her head down and began panting at the ceiling. They both stayed, unmoving, for a time, composing themselves before Logan rose and went to the fridge for two bottles of water. He returned and lay down on his side, next to his wife, handing her one bottle.

"Not bad for someone who hasn't done it in a while." He said and took a long sip of his water.

Veronica sat up cross-legged in her shorts and sports bra. "Thanks. We really should get back into the habit of practicing my self defence moves once a month. And I should start working out again." She removed the cap off her bottle and took big swig.

Logan smiled. "I think the last time we practiced together we ended up having sex on the weight bench." He laughed.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about that again! I mean really, how fucked up is it that we were turned on by trying to beat the snot out of each other." Veronica chastised him.

"Speak for your own kink...I was turned on by my sweaty fiancée rolling around on top of me...holding me down...putting your pussy so close I could..." Logan's voice changed to a husky whisper as he inched closer to her ear.

Veronica laughed and scooted away a bit. Logan gave her a lascivious smile and a wink. She shook her head and stood, offering her hand to him. "Come on. I need a long hot bath and you need a cold shower."

Logan took her hand and popped up to a standing position. His t-shirt was dishevelled and his shorts showed an obvious bulge. They both took in the sight of his erection; Veronica giggling a bit. "Cold shower. Good." He said and walked up to her, throwing a sweaty arm around her shoulders. The couple then made their way out the elevator and upstairs to the loft.

Across town, Keith sat at a lone table and chair, sipped his scotch neat, waiting for his guest to arrive. Scenarios ran through his head of what could transpire, and he individually made his peace with them.

He got there early and had already memorized every detail if the room; the bright purple walls, the mirrors and spotlights on the ceiling, the leather couches and chairs, the chunky black end tables. This may be the scene of his last stand, he thought.

When the door opened Keith looked up, but made no other move as Seth entered, followed closely by Clarence Wiedman. Wiedman approached, showing no emotion and sat down at the table across from Keith. There was a pause as they considered who would be the first to speak.

"Drink?" Asked Keith and took another sip of his.

"No. Thank you." Replied Wiedman.

Keith nodded at Seth and the young man proceeded to leave the room quietly.

"He needs to be stopped." Said Keith, leaning across the table.

Wiedman nodded. "I know."

"Any ideas?" Asked Keith.

"A few." Answer Wiedman. "Do you have any ideas?"

"A few." Keith arched his eyebrow. "Any of your ideas...will they keep him away from my daughter and her family, permanently?"

Wiedman leaned closer to Keith. "Yes. Veronica and Lilly will no longer need to worry."

Keith paused. Wiedman was serious. He could see it in the man's eyes. "Good."


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter Notes:**_

 _ **Getting close to the grand finale! Are you excited? Because I am! Thanks again to everyone who have sent me comments and kudos - you are what helps drive this little writing obsession of mine.**_

Veronica bounced her leg nervously. Going from no coffee to lots of coffee had given her a permanent case of the jitters. That, and the constant hovering threat of Duncan hanging over her head. Her dad's meeting with Weidman was a week prior and all he would say about the matter was that it went "Fine"...a statement that vexed her to no end.

Mac had begun monitoring Duncan's texts, which brought nothing new. She realized after a few days that he must be using an alternative phone and Mac had set about trying to find the number, but came up empty. Logan mimicked her every move, and the only reason he didn't follow her to the bathroom was that she insisted on keeping some things in their relationship a 'mystery'.

An alert went off on her computer, reminding her of an appointment she had made with a client off-site. Mrs. Jamison was a wealthy older woman who contacted her about handling the papers for her new Will. Apparently, Veronica had found out about her neighbour's cheating husband and handled the divorce and she had recommended Veronica for her elderly neighbour's legal needs.

She stretched and stood from her chair and smothed her conservative navy-blue pantsuit. Logan popped his head around the corner. "Your chauffeur is here!" He said happily.

Veronica rolled her eyes and gathered her papers off her desk, shoving them in her briefcase. "Chauffeur. Guard. Errand boy." She muttered.

"Sex toy. Eye candy. Orgasm generator. I have many talents." He countered with a grin.

Veronica laughed in spite of herself. He knew his constant presence was getting to her. "When we get to Mrs. Jamison's penthouse, I need you to wait in the hall. What we are talking about is confidential."

Logan nodded. "Okay. I can play watchdog. Where does she live again?"

"Top floor of The Palliser. I think there are two penthouses at the top." She replied, walking over to him and giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

Logan nodded. "Actually, there are four. My mom had a friend that lived there. The elevator brings you up to a central lobby and they can be accessed from there. I can set up and monitor things from while you are inside." He snaked his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"Great! Then we have a plan" She said and the two made their way through the office and out to their car.

The doorman to The Palliser was an older gentleman in full uniform. He called up to Mrs. Jamison, informing her that she had guests, and then directed Logan and Veronica to the elevator, which was operated by another man in uniform. The old elevator creaked up the 15 floors to the top, here it opened to a pink-and-gold sitting area. "Hasn't changed in 20 years." Logan whispered as they got off and walked into the lobby.

Mrs. Jamison was already at her door, waiting for her guests. "Oh, Ms. Mars! I wasn't expecting you would bring someone else with you." She said, eyeing Logan with suspicion.

The couple approached the woman. "This is my husband and partner in Mars Investigations, Logan Echolls." Logan extended his hand and she shook it, giving her his best child-of-film-stars smile.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jamison." He said. "I provide security for Veronica when she is out of the office. I won't be in your meeting but I will stay in the lobby until she is ready to leave." He explained.

The old woman scowled at him. Her grey hair was long and slightly wild, and her deep wrinkles and white pant suit gave her the look of a sorceress. "That will be fine, I guess. Come with me." She said, looking at Veronica.

Veronica gave Logan a fleeting look before she disappeared into the penthouse, the door slamming shut behind her.

Logan's instincts went into overdrive. Something wasn't right. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew it wasn't as it should be. Turning his brain to high alert, he leaned himself against the wall beside Mrs. Jamison's door and waited.

"Have a seat here, my dear." Cooed the woman to Veronica, her tone suddenly changing from what it was outside. Her living room was a sprawling white and gold museum to early 1980's nouveau-riche style. She stood behind a white leather chair with gold legs. "Come and have a seat. I poured the tea when Marvin called up to say you were here. It should be cool by now."

Veronica came and sat obediently in the chair. In front of her on the glass and brass coffee table was an elegant flowered tea cup and saucer. She watched as Mrs. Jamison took a seat on the couch near her. "You aren't having any?" She asked the older woman.

Mrs. Jamison's eyes got wide. She looked towards the kitchen briefly and then back a Veronica. "Yes. Of course. How silly of me. I should go and get a teacup. Excuse me." The woman rose again and quickly scampered for the swinging door across the room.

Veronica looked down into her cup. "Never accept drinks from strangers." She said out loud and stood up from her seat. As she did, a pair of large arms grabbed her from behind, wrapping around her chest. One hand went up an covered her mouth as she was about to scream. A muffled screech came from her throat, but they were faint at best. The arms dragged her over the chair, lifting her so her legs dangled. She flailed for a moment until the front door opened again.

Logan was shoved through the open doorway by a burley man in a three piece suit. He landed at the back of the couch and looked up to see who was holding Veronica.

"Duncan, you mother-fucker. If you hurt her I swear to god..." The burley man ended his sentence by putting a gun to the back of his head.

Knowing who was holding her made Veronica flail again, swinging her legs, trying to kick him. Duncan set her down firmly, planting her feet roughly and jostling her bones in the process. Pain ripped into her and she squealed under his hand. "Mrs. Jamison was so nice to make you a beverage. But you just couldn't drink the fucking tea. And you had to bring HIM!" Duncan admonished her. "Now we have to do this the hard way." Catching the eye of his watch dog, Duncan shouted his orders. "Put him in that chair and keep your gun on the back of his head. Don't shoot him until I say so."

Veronica's eyes got wide. Making eye contact with her husband as he was shoved into the chair across from her, she tried to calm herself and focus on what needed to be done.

"So you're keeping me alive? I'm touched our friendship meant to much to you." Said Logan and he crossed his arms and placed his foot across his knee, seemingly relaxing into his position.

Duncan laughed. "No. I'm keeping you alive so you can watch me make love to your wife. So you can experience what it is like to know the woman you love is with another man. So you can live with that being the last time you see her before I take her away to be with me, once and for all." He kissed the top of her head and Veronica flinched. "She just needs to drink her tea and then we can all go somewhere a little more...romantic...for this interlude."

Veronica watched as Logan's face turned from horror to disgust. He caught Veronica's eye. Instead of fear, he saw her eyes narrow. Anger had taken over. She looked at him and winked, and then began her attack.

Duncan screamed as she sunk her teeth into his palm. He released her slightly and she brought her high heel down on his foot, stomping it so hard that the tip was caught in his leather shoe. Duncan let out a loud curse and began to buckle.

Logan saw his chance and grabbed his gun that was holstered to his calf, just under his pant leg. He pushed his chair back, catching burley man off guard and knocking him on his back. Rolling over him, he grabbed the guard's gun and hit him with the blunt end, knocking him unconscious.

Veronica continued her assault on Duncan, spinning in his lose arms and bringing her palm up between them, the heel of her hand first. She caught his nose right at the cartilage and there was a delicious cracking sound as she finished her move. Duncan fell sideways, clutching his face and screaming, blood visible through his hands. Veronica jumped out of his way, leaving her heels behind on the ground. She grabbed her briefcase and launched herself over the couch to the open door, where Logan was waiting. He handed her his new-found extra gun and followed her out.

Running as fast as they could, they pushed open the doors to the emergency stairs and began racing down, with Veronica in the lead and Logan glancing back with his gun drawn. They counted down each floor... 10, 9, 8, 7, 6...suddenly, they heard a door open and Duncan's voice echoed down the concrete tunnel. "I WILL GET YOU BOTH! I WILL COME FOR YOU VERONICA! YOU CANNOT HIDE!"

Veronica's step faltered and Logan grabbed her to help her along. "Keep going, baby! We're almost out." He huffed and the two continued their descent.

At the lobby, the two burst through the stairwell exit and ran to the front doors, like the place was on fire. They continued until they got to the car, diving in and Logan scrambling to start it. Their tires screamed as they took off.

In the car, Veronica kicked into high gear. Reaching for the centre console, she chose the phone connection and dialled the office.

"Mars Investigations!" Sandy's chipper voice filled the room.

"It's Veronica!" She yelled above the sound of the car. "Duncan just tried to kidnap me! Lock down the office! Tell Mac to take all the laptops and any files that pertain to any of the Kane cases and both of you, get the fuck out of there! Logan and I will be in touch when we are safe."

"Oh my god! Okay! We are on it!" Sandy yelled back and hung up.

Veronica disconnected the call and dialled again. This time, Keith Mars answered, seeing his call display. "Veronica?"

Hearing her father's voice nearly made Veronica crack in two. "Daddy?" She said hoarsely. She caught her mouth in her hands, unable to say anything more.

"Veronica? Where are you? What's wrong?" He yelled.

Logan interjected, trying to talk and keep his eye on the road ahead. "Duncan set a trap. He tried to make a grab for Veronica, but we escaped." He took a deep breath. "We are leaving town." He said, looking over at his wife. She nodded at him. They were leaving town.

"Are you taking her where we planned?" He asked Logan.

"Yes Sir. Executing 'Get out of Dodge' Plan A. We will make contact when we are secure." Logan reacted, his voice suddenly gone military.

"Veronica. I love you. I will make sure you can come home soon. I promise." Came Keith's voice, full of emotion.

Veronica gasped past her tears. "I love you Dad. And Alicia. Tell her I love her too." She said.

"I will. Be safe." He said and hung up.

Veronica reached over and disconnected the call. Glancing over at Logan, she realized they should have done this the first time he wanted to leave. Then, they had something to fight for. But now, they had no fight left. Looking out the window, she noticed that they were no where near their neighbourhood. Logan swiftly took a turn and she saw where they were.

"Navarro's Garage" made Veronica smile with relief. Logan pulled up and began honking his horn. Weevil was out in seconds and Logan threw open his door quickly.

"He's on our tail, Weev. We gotta get out, NOW!" He said, running to Veronica's side of the car and ripping open the door. She undid her seatbelt and grabbed her briefcase. When she swung her legs out, she realized she was barefoot. Logan noticed her bare toes as well and quickly swooped her up in his arms. For a moment, they connected, locking eyes. "He's never coming near you again." He whispered and kissed the tip of her nose. Veronica sank into his arms, placing her head on his chest as he carried her across the lot.

Weevil was already holding the door of a blue Honda Civic open for him. Gently, Logan leaned down and Veronica scrambled into the passenger seat. "Give me your phone." He said and held out his hand. Veronica quickly opened her briefcase and handed it over.

Logan slammed the door and stopped a moment to talk to Weevil. She saw him hand their friend both of their phones and the extra gun they had picked up in the scuffle. The brief conversation ended with a hand shake and a bro-hug and then Logan was in the drivers seat again. Weevil waived to Veronica as Logan drove past him and back onto the street.

Veronica looked around the car. In the back there was a flat of bottled water and two grocery bags of chips, pretzels, and other non-perishable items. There were also a couple of pillows and blankets stacked on the back seats. Logan noticed her looking around and began to talk. "There are two suitcases with clothes, disguises, and toiletries in the trunk. When we get out of town, I'll stop and we can change." He looked down at her feet again. "I packed shoes."

Veronica nodded in silence. Her body started to go into shock. The adrenaline rush was over and she felt cold. She pulled her feet up and crossed her legs on her seat, shivering slightly. Logan noticed and turned off the air conditioning, cracking his window just a bit for air.

"Where are we going?" She asked softly, suddenly feeling very tired.

Logan smiled. "Seattle. Gareth and Hunter will be waiting for us. I'm going to take the long way through Nevada and Idaho so it will be a few days. But we'll change onto our disguises and stop for the night and regroup. There are two burner phones that will need recharging tonight but then we can communicate with Alicia. We figured she would be the least likely person they would think to tap."

Veronica shook her head. "When did you arrange all of this?" She asked.

Logan shook his head. "Your Dad arranged this plan. He was worried we may have to leave town quickly and set this up about a week ago. I also bumped up the credit limit on 'Charlie's' credit card so we can live off of that for a while." He reached out and put his hand on his wife's knee. "And your dad has assurances from C.W. that he will throw Duncan off track if he tries to have him follow us."

Duncan. The name set off a visceral reaction in her. She closed her eyes as she felt herself begin to shake. Logan saw her body shift and begin to vibrate uncontrollably. "Shit!" He said and pulled out of traffic and into a back lane. He put the car in 'park' and grabbed the blanket from the back seat, wrapping it around his wife and rubbing her arms rapidly.

She opened her eyes slightly and looked at him through heavy lids. "I can't believe I kicked his ass." She chattered.

Logan reached around her and hugged her tightly. "I'm jealous that you kicked his ass! I've been waiting weeks to do it!"

"I knew it was a good idea to wear my one nice pair of Laboutins to that meeting today. Coordinated my entire outfit around those shoes." She added in a deadpan voice.

Logan kissed her head. "When this is over, I will buy you a special shoe closet that you can fill with Laboutins, if you choose."

She smiled. "When this is over, I want to make love to you for a week straight." Veronica turned to gaze up into her husband's eyes.

"Or that." He teased and kissed her gently in the lips before pulling back into his seat. He buckled his belt and put the car back in 'drive'. Veronica was asleep within minutes of the car moving again.

"Alicia!" Yelled Keith from the office "You gotta hear this!"

Alicia ran into the room just as Keith pulled the headphones out of the computer.

Weidmen's voice was strong and loud. "So, let me get this straight. Ms. MARS fractured your nose and foot?"

"YES! GOD DAMN IT! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?!" Came Duncan's nasally voice.

Keith smacked his knee and started laughing hysterically. He turned to Alicia and pointed at the computer. "THAT'S my girl!"

Weidmen's voice came on again. "Sir. I think it's best if I handle this from now on."

"Yes. Fine. Just find them, alright."

"I will do my best, Mr. Kane." There was the sound of footsteps and the door.

Alicia shook her head. "I'm just glad she is okay." She said and kissed her husband on the head. Keith was giggling happily to himself when his phone buzzed. He picked it up and looked at the message.

 _ **Will not pursue. Time for next phase.**_

Keith nodded to himself and responded.

 _ **Ready when you are**_.


	16. Chapter 16

The road to Seattle was rough. Veronica's brain would not let go of Duncan's plan for her, and she was plagued by terrifying nightmares every time she tried to sleep. After the first night in the hotel, Logan decided to try and push through as fast as they could to Seattle, in the hopes that when she felt safe again, her mind would rest. Relying on his Navy training of piloting for long hours, Logan kept himself going on a steady supply of protein bars, water, and the occasional coffee. When they limped into Gareth's house at 1:00 am, after two days of non-stop driving, they were both ecstatic but exhausted.

Logan could feel something on his face. Air. Breath. Peanut butter? He opened his eyes and there was Hunter, his lips pursed, about to blow on him again. He closed his eyes and chuckled. "Good morning, little dude." He whispered.

"It's afternoon." Hunter whispered back. "Veronica sent me in to wake you up."

Logan rolled on his back and stretched. He was still in the t-shirt and boxers he was wearing when he arrived, having just tossed off his jeans and socks before climbing into bed. He scratched at his long stubble, which was about to be his new hipster-beard disguise. Hunter saw his opportunity and scrambled up onto the bed and climbed on top of Logan, giving him a big hug. Even though he was almost 7-year-old, he still enjoyed being close to the people he loved. Logan understood; he was the same way as a small child. "I'm glad you guys are here." He said quietly. "I haven't seen you since your wedding."

Logan did the math in his head. One month since they lost the baby. Three months pregnant. Honeymoon one week after they were married. He and Veronica had only been legally married for almost five months, but it felt like five years. "Yeah. It's been a while. I'm sorry. But we have Skype'd a few times since then."

Hunter smiled. "You're right. But now you're here and dad said I get today off of school so we can hang out!"

Logan ruffled the boy's blond hair. "That's awesome news! You can show me what you've added to your Lego collection."

Hunter rolled off Logan and landed back on the floor. "You get dressed! I'll go get my new airplanes. You'll love them." And the boy scampered off.

Logan smiled and rolled out of bed too. His jeans were exactly where he left them on the floor and he pulled them on quickly and went downstairs in search of his wife.

Veronica and Gareth were in the living room, sitting together on the couch and talking. When Veronica saw her husband, her eyes lit up and a big smile appeared. "Hi!" She exclaimed and walked over to give him a small kiss on his lips. "Are you finally rested?"

Logan yawned. "I think so. How did you sleep?" Wrapping his arms around her, lovingly.

She settled into his embrace. "Good. Better than I have in a few days." She answered. "I was in contact with dad this morning, through Alicia. He said that we needed to go out and take a bunch of selfies around Seattle and text them to Alicia's phone over the next few days. No disguises." She wrinkled her face. "Said it was part of his plan."

Logan frowned. "Okaaaayyy. So much for my hipster beard. Any idea why we need to do this?"

"Maybe he misses us?" She shrugged in his arms.

Gareth stood and walked over to the couple. "So Logan, are you hungry for breakfast or lunch?" He chuckled and slapped Logan on the back.

Logan laughed. "I am hungry for a coffee and a shower." He said, not letting go of his wife.

"Well, how about some scrambled eggs first. Once Hunter gets back, you'll be lucky if he lets you eat. He's been waiting all morning for you to wake up." Gareth remarked and walked over to the open kitchen, which took up he majority of the first floor of the house.

Logan released his wife just as Hunter came down the stairs, carrying a large container filled with Lego. "Okay. These are just my planes, some of them are regular planes and some are Star wars and some I made up..." He swept past Logan and set the bin down by the coffee table. He then dropped to his knees and began gently unloading them into formation. "...COME ON! Let me show you!" He called to Logan enthusiastically.

Logan's chest became warm and his heart swelled. He was always amazed at the effect this little boy had on him. "I'm coming." He said and left Veronica's side to go sit on the floor with Hunter.

Veronica paused for a moment, enjoying watching her 'boys' play. Making her way to the kitchen, she took a mug out of the cupboard and poured a coffee for Logan. As she did, Gareth sidled up beside her. "Keith was right. Looks like Logan needed a little 'Hunter-time' too."

Veronica looked down and saw her smile reflected in the black coffee. She heard the two making airplane sounds, giggling, and let out a soft sigh. She turned to see them flying their planes, high above their heads. "Yeah. My dad is right about a lot of things."

Keith Mars stepped back to admire his demented handy work, slapping his latex gloves together with satisfaction. The entire bedroom wall was a ode to his daughter in creepy cut-out photos. He started with a print out of Veronica and Logan's wedding – courtesy of People magazine – and pasted Duncan's head on Logan's body. His stalker-collage grew from there. Weidman had provided Keith with a box of photos that Duncan had collected, but he also gave him the small colour printer from the Kane residence to print others. After days of printing, collecting, and cutting, Keith had assembled a massive collection of images to work with.

He arrived at the Kane cabin, just inside the Balboa County line, that morning while it was still dark outside. Following Weidmen's plan, he parked in the garage for cover and changed into a full protective outfit, before going into the house and turning off the alarm using Duncan's code. The large master bedroom was located through the main sitting and kitchen area and Keith had left all the lights off, just in case one of the neighbours showed up, even though there were miles of forest between each residence.

Any reservations Keith had about their plan suddenly evaporated when he entered the bedroom. Spread out on the red silk duvet were a series of straps, meant to hold someone down. On a hook near the bed hung a long white wedding dress. Dark black-out curtains covered the windows and when Keith peaked behind them, there were wrought iron bars. This room was meant to be his daughter's prison. Instead, it would be her salvation

Against one wall, there was a heavy wood desk with a computer, printer, and video camera on top of it. Once the photos of Veronica were hung, Keith swapped out the printer he had been given by Weidman for the one that was originally on the desk, leaving a couple of pictures of Veronica that he printed, next to it.

Keith glanced at his watch; it was almost 5:00 pm. Taking one long look at the wall he had covered from floor to ceiling in pictures of his daughter, he realized something was missing. Looking in his envelope, he pulled out a cut-out picture that he had scanned from Veronica's collection. Walking over to the middle of the giant collage, he glued on a picture of Duncan, Lilly, Logan, and Veronica, smiling, all together, at Homecoming. He then went and sat in a chair in the main room and waited for Weidman to show up.

The heat of the protective suit made Keith fall asleep the big armchair. He woke with a start when the front door opened. Clarence Wiedman jumped a bit when he saw Keith Mars, dressed from head to toe in a white protective garment and white gloves, launch out of his seat.

"Shit, Keith!" He muttered, throwing a duffle bag onto the couch.

"Sorry Clarence. Been a long day." Said Keith as he rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"20:00. A little later than I wanted. He drank the water on the way up but the GHB took some time to work so I had to drive around a bit." He said and walked over to the duffle bag. Extracting another protective uniform and gloves, he slipped everything on over his clothes quickly. While he did, Keith went and propped the bedroom door open and angled the big office chair towards the door.

"Ready?" Said Keith.

Weidman snapped his gloves. "Ready. Let's go get him." He exited the cabin first with Keith stopping to prop the front door open.

Duncan was slumped in the passenger seat. Wiedman opened the door and Duncan slipped towards him. Keith stepped up and caught him as Weidman reached over and undid his seatbelt. Keith caught Duncan's torso as Weidman slid his legs out the door. Each man took a positing under Duncan's arms and lifted him between them. His drugged body was limp but the two managed to take him up the walk and through the door, slamming it behind them.

They carried him to the office chair and placed him in, as gently as they could manage. Duncan let out a groan as they turned the chair and wedged it under the desk to help keep him upright. Keith made sure he didn't fall over while Weidman returned to the duffle bag and set to work.

Weidman grabbed several vials of GHB, including an empty one and came back to the room. Opening the top drawer of the bedside table, he dropped in the containers and extracted in exchange, Duncan's handgun. Returning to the bag again, he got out a DVD marked "Veronica and Lilly" in Duncan's handwriting, and returned to the desk. Setting the gun and CD down on the top, he lifted Duncan's right hand and formed his gloved hand around it. Using Duncan's finger, he pressed the power button for the computer. There was silence between the men as they machine started up. When it was ready, he picked up the DVD and slid it in. Placing Duncan's hand on the mouse, he selected "play".

The sound of squealing pierced the air and the original Lilly Kane appeared on screen, followed by Veronica. They were in their bikinis, playing by the pool. They must have been about 15 or 16 years old. "Duncan you perv! Get that off of us!" Called Lilly as they jumped in the water for cover.

Logan floated into the screen in his swim trunks and a muscle shirt. "I don't know about you, but I don't need a camera to remember what Veronica looks like in that bikini." He said to the camera, wiggling his eyebrows. Keith shook his head. If only the boy knew then, where he would be today...

"Are you ready?" Clarence asked, piercing through the talking. Keith refocused on the task at hand. He took one last look at his daughter's image on the screen and then looked back at the wall.

"Ready." He said calmly.

The two men readjusted Duncan's positing in the seat so he was sitting up, is head just above the chair. Keith crouched down and took him by the neck, holding his head up in place with the ends of his fingers and ducking his own head down. Clarence placed the gun in Duncan's hand and wrapped his own around it.

Pushing the barrel of the gun to Duncan's temple. He let out a low sigh. "Goodbye, Mr. Kane." He said and pulled the trigger.

Keith took a long, hot shower and crawled into bed with his wife. It was almost morning by the time he and Weidman got back into to town together, discarding their evidence in random hotel garbage bins all the way back. Alicia felt Keith wrap around her and she moved her body into him. It took her a moment to realize her husband was crying. She rolled over and took his head to her breast.

"It's over. It's finally over." She cooed at him gently.

"I took a man's life, Alicia. I swore to protect lives, not take them." He whispered into her. "What have I done?"

Alicia exhaled and rocked her husband. "Keith, I truly believe that it is up to the Lord above to judge us and our actions. And one day, when you are at the gates of Heaven, God will ask if you 'Have known the devil, Keith Mars?' and you can say to him...'Lord, I looked the devil in the face and I sent him straight back to hell.'"

Keith looked up at his radiant wife. Lifting his head, he took her lips with his and kissed her, gently at first, then with increasing passion. Alicia rolled Keith onto his back and pressed her body against his. They made love quietly before falling asleep in each other's arms.

Sherriff Dan Lamb surveyed the scene. One dead billionaire. A kinky sex prison room. A crazy-stalker wall. Videos of young, frolicking teenagers. And a boatload of hallucinogenic date-rape drugs. This was turning into a terrible weekend.

Clarence Wiedman's voice pierced Lamb's thoughts. "He was obsessed with Ms. Mars. Nothing I could do would disused him from his crazy notion they could be together. When she was finally able to get him to believe she wouldn't leave her husband, he became despondent" He sighed deeply. "I guess he felt that he couldn't live without her."

Lamb turned towards C.W. "This is truly one of the most fucked up things I've ever seen." He groaned. "This is going to be a nightmare to process. And the press is going to go ballistic."

The imposing man put his hand on Lamb's shoulder. "Sherriff Lamb...I do know that you appreciate the highly sensitive nature of Mr. Kane's suicide. If the details of his obsession with Ms. Mars got out, it could be ugly for his daughter, Miss Lilly Kane, as well as the entire Kane Software board of directors." He dropped his voice and placed his face near Lamb's ear. "I am willing to help you be discreet about this investigation in any way possible...either with personal or monetary resources. They would like this matter dealt with as quickly and privately as possible."

Lamb snapped his head around to look Weidman in he eyes. "How monetary are we talking about?" A shrewd smile playing on his lips.

Clarence Wiedman smiled. "Very."

The staff at Gareth's restaurant smiled at Hunter every time they passed their table. "Desidero" was an upscale Italian fusion restaurant in downtown Seattle, that happened to have a kids menu for one special customer. While Gareth, Veronica and Logan feasted on fine cuisine, Hunter was happily eating his hand-made chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries with truffle aioli.

Logan was just about to respond to a dig from Gareth when something caught the corner of his eye. Just past Veronica's head, he saw Clarence Weidman, across the room, on the television by the bar. He quickly pushed himself out of his seat and wove his way trough the chairs and tables to the screen. "Turn it up!" He yelled frantically at the bartender.

The young man made a face and Gareth's voice boomed. "You heard the man, Frank! Turn it up!"

Logan was so captivated by the image of Weidman, standing in front of a large cottage, police and reporters around him, that he almost didn't notice Veronica come and stand next to him, her mouth wide open.

"...cooperating with Balboa County Sherriff department. Mr. Kane's daughter, Lilly, has been informed of her father's suicide and is currently under the care of a psychologist to help her deal with the trauma. As the last surviving member of the Kane family, and a minor, I ask that the press grant her privacy during this terrible time. The board of directors of Kane Software have also been informed and this will, in no way, disturb the operations of the company." Lamb stepped up, put his hand on Weidmen's shoulder, and whispered something to him. C.W. nodded and began speaking again. "I worked for the Kane family for several decades. Duncan Kane suffered for many years with mental illness, much of it brought about by the death of his sister many years ago, and made worse by the death of his parents last year. I hope that Mr. Kane finally found some peace." He bowed his head and walked away from reporters with Lamb following close behind.

Veronica clutched Logan's arm, feeling like she was going to fall over. He looked down and wrapped his arms around her for support. They were quiet, both not knowing whether they should be happy or sad. Gareth leaned over the bar to talk to the bartender and the TV suddenly turned off. He walked past the couple, back to the table and Hunter, leaving them together.

"We're free." Veronica said quietly.

Logan closed his eyes. "I know."

There was a moment of thought before Veronica spoke again. "Do you think this was part of dad's plan with C.W.?" She asked, in a whisper.

Logan kissed the top of her head. "I don't know. And I don't care."

Veronica let out a sigh and looked up at her husband. She slid out if his grip and took his hand, then gently led him back to their table.

Another morning came quietly into the Mars household. The surveillance equipment had been dismantled. The bugs from the Kane house were removed by Clarence and returned to Keith. Alicia sipped her coffee and read the paper while Keith made her pancakes and bacon.

There was a low knock at the door. Alicia smiled at her husband. "I'll get it."

She opened the door and smiled. "Sherriff Lamb. What brings you to our door this fine Sunday morning?"

He took off his hat. "Mrs. Mars. I'm actually looking for Veronica. I need to talk to her about Duncan Kane."

"Oh! Well Veronica and Logan have been visiting her brother in Seattle for the past few days. We don't expect them back until later this week." She said as Keith approached her, still wearing his 'Kiss the Cook' apron and pajamas.

"Why do you need to talk to her?" Keith asked.

Lamb cocked an eyebrow at Keith's outfit before speaking. "Just cleaning up a few lose ends. It seems that Duncan Kane had a plot to kidnap her and I wanted to make sure she wasn't somehow involved in his suicide."

Alicia went and grabbed her phone off the counter. She returned and flashed the screen at the officer. "She texted me this photo from the Space Needle yesterday. She is safe and sound in Seattle with her family. No where near Duncan Kane."

Keith interjected. "Duncan Kane wanted to kidnap my daughter?"

Lamb nodded. "From the looks of it, he was pretty obsessed. A deep, disgusting fixation, in my opinion."

Alicia clutched her chest. "Oh my, I'm glad he didn't harm Veronica!"

Lamb thought back to the sick scene he encountered at the cabin. This could have been a lot messier than it already was. "I'm glad he didn't either. Thank you both. Enjoy your day." He said and stepped back off the porch and down to his car.

Alicia closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a deep sigh. Keith kissed her nose and smiled. "Would you like a splash of Baileys in your coffee, my love?" He asked.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Let this be the last covert operation I am ever involved with. My nerves can't take this much excitement."

Keith wrapped his arm around his wife and led her back to the table.

Logan found Veronica standing on the porch Sunday morning in her nightgown and a big sweater, coffee in hand, staring at the sunrise. She turned when she heard the do open. Logan stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her, tenderly kissing her neck as he did.

"We can go home and start again." She said wistfully.

Logan kept nuzzling her neck, enjoying the smell of marshmallows. "Start what?"

She smiled and leaned into him. "Everything. Push the reset button and begin again. Before the baby. Before Duncan. Before the arguments and sadness and fear."

Logan pulled his face up and inhaled the morning air. "Your doctor's appointment is only two weeks away." He reminded her.

Delicious thoughts came to her mind. "Oh yeah?" She said quietly. "I almost lost track of time."

Logan kissed her head and leaned his chin on her crown. "I was thinking...now that things are safe again...and depending what the doctor says...maybe we can try again...soon...sooner..."

Veronica giggled. Apparently her dad's secondary plan worked. "What changed your mind?" She asked, unable to keep the happiness out of her voice.

He gave her a squeeze. "Hunter. Gareth. All of this. Hunter has been through so much in his life and he's still so happy and so positive and so...awesome. It makes me think we are missing out on something big by not being parents. You know?"

Veronica took his hands and slid them down to her stomach and held them there. "Yeah. I know."

The couple stood there for a time together, in silence, each one contemplating the endless possibility for their new future.

 _ **Chapter End Notes:**_

 _ **Hope you all enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it. One more chapter and an epilogue to go and that is all for this story! Thanks for reading and leaving kudos and comments. They make me smile.**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter Notes**_

 _ **I want to dedicate this chapter to the lovely women who have PM'd me during this story to tell me about their own miscarriages. Veronica's loss was almost a verbatim retelling of my own miscarriage and I thank them for sticking it out during the saddest part of this Fanfic.**_

 _ **Enjoy this fluffy, funny, smutty chapter. You all deserve some lightness and laughter.**_

Logan had a case of restless leg syndrome. Maybe he shouldn't have said "yes" to the cup of coffee Alicia offered him, his third that day. As he sat at Keith's kitchen table, his leg moved involuntarily, underneath. Veronica was at the doctors office and insisted that he was not, under any circumstances, coming to sit through her internal exam. So instead, he enlisted Keith's help in securing something special for the "top secret" night he had planned for Veronica on Saturday. When Keith saw what they were picking up, he laughed and shook his head at the young man.

Once they were done their errand, they ended up at Keith's house again, sitting around the table, hanging out. They talked congenially about Seattle, how Veronica was managing with everything, and how much Logan enjoyed Hunter's company for the week they stayed with him.

While they were sitting at the table, talking, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" Called Alicia from the other room.

Keith and Logan continued to talk until the visitor caught Keith's eye. Clarence Weidman, dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt, and baseball cap, strode into the kitchen. Keith rose and extended his hand. "Good to see you Clarence." He said.

Logan looked up at the man in shock. Clarence ignored the look and breezed past Logan to shake Keith's hand. "Keith. Logan." He said at the end, briefly making eye contact. "I just wanted to come and give you an update on Faith, and say goodbye."

"Faith?" Questioned Logan.

Clarence nodded. "Lilly has elected to take the name her mother originally gave her, now that her father is gone." He explained.

"Makes sense." Muttered Logan. "I should have changed my name to 'Mars' when I got married."

Keith chuckled at him. "Still can, son!"

Keith looked over to see Clarence smiling. There was a lightness to him that he had never seen in the man. "How is Faith doing?" Keith asked and opened his hand towards a chair.

Weidman took a deep breath and sat down. "Faith is doing surprisingly well, in large part to her therapist. She also met with the Manning family yesterday. You may know that Mr. and Mrs. Manning died a few years ago, but we met her two Aunts – Lizzy and Grace - and they signed off on my guardianship papers."

Logan arched his eyebrow. "YOU are Lil...I mean...Faith's legal guardian?"

Clarence nodded. "Jake and Celeste were worried, if something happened to Duncan while he was in Australia, that Faith would be put in foster-care. They insisted that Duncan draw up a Will, some years ago, making me Faith's guardian. I visited them twice a year, on my 'vacation' to check up on them and bring pictures and mementoes back to the Kanes."

Keith shook his head. "That poor girl. I hope she is one day able to move past what happened to her."

Clarence drew his hand over his mouth. "Well, that's why I am here...to say goodbye. I'm taking Faith back to Australia to be with her friends, to her old school, in a new home where she can heal and move on from her father. The Kane dynasty in Neptune is officially over."

Keith and Logan let the words sink in. The Kane family held so much power in Neptune, this would be a major shift in the way the bureaucracy operated from now on, for better or worse.

"Well, Clarence, good luck to you and Faith." Keith began, looking the man in the eye. "I hope you both find the freedom you so greatly deserve."

Clarence rose and offered his hand to Keith who stood and shook it firmly. "Thank you, Keith. All the best to you in the future." He turned to Logan and offered his hand. A little in shock, it took Logan a beat before he soon to shake it. "Logan, please convey to Veronica how sorry I am for ever bringing Duncan back into your lives. I hope you both have a very long and happy life together. I still remember you both as teenagers and you both never deserved the hell the Kane family put you both through."

Logan was at a loss. He looked into the eyes of the older man. It was if he was looking at a different person. There was a kindness and sincerity he had never seen. "Thank you, C.W. Best of luck to you and Faith too."

With that, Clarence Weidman turned and walked out of their lives for good.

By the time Logan arrived home, Veronica was back from her appointment, showered, changed into sleep shorts and a t-shirt, and was setting out Chinese food on the coffee table.

He kicked off his shoes at the elevator and sauntered up to her as she was leaning over the table. Coming up behind her, he pressed his body against hers, bending to conform to her position. He moved aside her wet hair and kissed the back of her neck, eliciting a giggle. She stood and he followed her movement. His arms were still around her as she turned to face him and kiss his lips softly.

"How it go?" He asked hesitantly.

Veronica took his hand and led him to sit with her on the couch with her. She looked down at his fingers as she began to talk. "Good. I guess. They kept me for a while and did another ultrasound to look for any damage, which they didn't find...so physically I'm fine. The doctor said there is no reason, that they could find, why I shouldn't be able to carry another child all the way to term." She hesitated a moment and looked into her husband's deep brown eyes. "We could get pregnant right away, but she suggests we wait at least three cycles to make sure everything is back on track, hormone wise. And when we do get pregnant again, I need to call her ASAP and she will begin monitoring me immediately."

Logan nodded his understanding. "So condoms and no sex in the shower for a few month?" He asked.

Veronica laughed. "Yes. Thank you for breaking down the particulars." She reached up and pressed her lips to his. She held him in her kiss for a moment before releasing him. She pushed herself up on her knees and kept her face close to his. "I picked up condoms on the way home." She stated, a deep blush suddenly appearing on her cheeks.

Logan reached up and touched her warm face. "I thought you were still having anxiety about us making love again?" He said and stroked his thumb back and forth over her chin.

Veronica licked her lips and softened her eyes. "Funny thing. Being told I was 'cleared' to conceive again just made me want to go home and 'practice' with you." She growled, bending her head a bit and catching his thumb in her mouth. She bit it slightly and licked he pad with the tip off her tongue.

Logan groaned as his cock sprang to attention in his khakis. "What happened to our 'do-over'?" He asked.

Veronica frowned. "You're still serious?"

Logan smiled widely, "As a shark bite." And chomped his teeth together. "And I have bigger plans than that."

Veronica sat back on her heels in shock. After their initial conversation, weeks ago, she had kind of forgotten about his idea, focusing more on just finally having sex for the first time after her miscarriage instead. "So...what would that involve...?

Logan threw his head back and clapped his hands together gleefully. "That means waiting until tomorrow night when I unveil my plans."

Veronica crossed her hands over her chest. "What 'plans' are you talking about?"

Logan leaned towards her so his nose was at her nose. "Special SECRET ROMANTIC plans that will convince you we should lose our virginity together. When you go to work tomorrow and I will be out and about setting it all up. I will tell you, however, it will involve dinner, and we WILL make it to the restaurant this time." He then leaned over and began opening cartons of Chinese food. "So, what shall we watch while we eat? Something funny this time...I'm not in the mood for drama."

Veronica was speechless. She flopped down onto her bum and stared at her husband a moment. While she was now intrigued about his plans, she was still horny. Maybe she could change his mind about tonight, she thought. Two could play this 'virgin' game.

Logan began searching through Netflix, the two containers of food he decided to start with on his lap, when Veronica leaned over and began to coo in his ear, her hot breath dancing on his lobe. "But Logan...we don't have much time...my dad will be home soon. And if he catches us like this..." She pulled back from him and pealed her t-shirt over her head, revealing her soft, pink breasts to him. "...I don't know what he'll do!"

Logan looked his wife up and down. He looked at the remote, still in his hand and pointed at the television. He looked down at the food on his lap, his cock trapped under the hot dishes. He looked back at his wife, who had her head angled to one side, ever so slightly, her eyes wide as she played her part.

"Second base?" He offered.

I can get off from second base, Veronica thought. "Deal!" She said and bounced over to him, yanking the dishes off his lap and putting them on the table.

Logan reached around and grabbed her ass with both hands, pulling her onto his lap so she was straddling him. Six weeks of pent-up desire came tumbling out as they groped each other with fumbling hands and frantic kisses. Logan went for Veronica's neck and began sucking on it, so hard she let out a screech. Grabbing his dress shirt by the plackets, she ripped the garment open, sending buttons flying in every direction. She dug her nails into his pecs, and began dragging them slowly over his skin, making his swear like a sailor. In response, he dropped his head and caught one nipple in his mouth and began sucking it roughly.

Veronica let out a low mewl from the back of her throat and began to grind her hips down on him. Catching the bump in his pants just right against the layers of fabric covering her clit, she humped him as she begged and moaned for more him to touch her more. The friction against his covered cock was almost too much for Logan and he increased his attention on her chest, taking her other nipple and rolling it between his calloused fingers. Veronica's hip movements became erratic and within seconds she came, calling her husband's naming. Logan released her and fell back against the couch pillows, letting out a tremendous moan. Veronica felt him come underneath her. She looked at her spouse gleefully as he reached up and placed his hands on his head, trying to regain control of his senses.

"Just like high school." She began to giggle uncontrollably.

Logan raised his eyes to her and gave her a brilliant smile. "Just like high school." He replied and dropped his head back again.

No amount of walking around naked and promises of blow jobs could get Logan to admit his plans for Saturday night, so grudgingly, Veronica got dressed that morning and went down to the office to work. Thankfully, Sandy had lined up four meetings for that day so she knew it would pass quickly. Logan did inform her that he would pick her up at precisely 5:30 pm, in front of the of building. When asked how she needed to dress – fancy, casual, or dominatrix – Logan just rolled his eyes and told her it would be taken care of.

At 4:30 pm, Veronica ran up the stairs, two at a time, later than she wanted to be arriving at home. She began throwing off clothes as soon as she entered, making her way to the shower. Strolling past the bed, she stopped and noticed a giant white garment box on top of their quilt. A big smile stretched across her face. The last time Logan surprised her with a garment box, it contained a beautiful DKNY dress she had admired in a fashion magazine. Gripping the edges of the lid, she pulled it up and tossed it dramatically to the floor. When she saw what was in there, her face scrunched in confusion.

"What. The. Hell. Logan?" She muttered as she pulled out a duplicate of her favourite pink-striped t-shirt from high school. The next item out of the box was a pink hoodie, followed by a pair of light blue jeans, a brown belt with a big buckle, a giant green canvas purse, and finally, a pair of brown biker boots. There was a note written on the box under the clothes.

"For you to wear tonight. Leave your rings at home. Love you. L."

Veronica dropped the clothes back in the box and smirked. The outfit was almost an exact duplicate of something she would have worn when they were first dating. Whatever her husband was planning, it was definitely going to be a trip down memory lane, she surmised. Crossing to her dresser, she pulled her rings off and slid them into her mahogany jewellery box. Then, she opened the drawer and fished around until she found her red lace bra and matching g-string. She was about to toss it on top of the outfit on the bed when she realized that wasn't what she would have worn in high school. Shoving them back inside, she fished out her soft pink cotton t-shirt bra and matching bikini briefs, then added them to the pile.

Thoughts of what Logan may have planned started to run through her head as she showered. What was he up to? Why all the secrecy? Where would they end up? Well, that she knew the answer to that one at least...they would end up in bed.

A sudden panic swept over Veronica as she thought about everything they had been through in the past six-weeks. Would it feel different? Would it hurt? Did she look different...down there? Would she be thinking about the baby? Would he? What happened if they got accidentally pregnant? Did they need to use more than just a condom?

"Oh god." She muttered, her voice echoing in the big shower stall. "It IS like I'm a virgin again."

She finished showering and pulled on her big, fluffy robe. She yanked her hair out of her messy bun and stepped up to the vanity to put on her makeup. Getting lost in her thoughts, the entire process of getting ready took longer than she thought it would, and she found herself hurriedly dumping the contents of her usual purse into the green canvas bag and running out the loft.

Throwing open the door at the bottom of the stairs, she was about to launch herself off the stoop when the sight of Logan stopped her dead in her tracks. Her eyes got wide and her mouth dropped to the ground.

Logan was standing there waiting for her, leaning against the exact duplicate of his old yellow XTERRA. But that wasn't the only thing that made Veronica freeze to her spot. Her husband's hair had been cut and shaped and gelled to copy his hair in high school. His baby face was shaved clean and around his neck was a white puka-shell necklace. He was wearing an orange t-shirt under a brown jean jacket and his pants were green khaki. His face was beaming with happiness.

Veronica bent in half, her head towards the ground, her hands covering her mouth, and started screaming with laughter. Logan didn't move. "What?" He questioned in his best jackass voice.

Veronica pulled herself up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Please don't tell me this is your original car that you had hidden somewhere..."

Logan chuckled. "No. I found it online and had Weevil fix it up for me. He reacted the same way you did when he saw it." Opening the passenger side door, he swept his arm into the open space. "Your chariot awaits!" He pronounced.

His "girlfriend" skipped to the car, pausing for a second to ruffle his hair. "What? No frosted tips?" She teased and hopped into her seat.

Her "boyfriend" leaned over and put his face up to hers. "Some things are better left in the past." He whispered and kissed the tip of her nose. "Plus, I would have been stuck it them for weeks." He winked and shut the door.

Veronica was quiet the entire ride to the restaurant, enjoying the memories of being in the yellow car together, way back when, listening to the mix of early-2000's music coming from the stereo, and thinking about Logan's "end game".

When they pulled up to Mama Leone's, Logan reached for her hand. "Are you okay?" He asked softly. "You didn't try and make me stop the car to fool around." He teased.

Veronica bit her lip and blushed. "Just lost in some memories...good memories." She admitted. "And a little nervous."

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently. "I'm kind of nervous too. I just want everything to be perfect for you tonight."

Veronica's blue eyes sparkled at him. "It will be. Look...you already got the restaurant choice right!"

He smiled a big, goofy smile at her, dropped her hand, and jumped out of the car to open her door. When he did, she took his hand and they made their way into the restaurant.

Nina, the hostess, had been there since they were teenagers. "Veronica! It's so nice to see you and your friend again!" She gave the couple a big grin and a wink and happily showed them to a back corner table. Veronica let out a little giggle knowing that Nina was in on Logan's plan.

"Would either of you like a beverage before you decide on dinner." Nina asked as they sat down.

Veronica was already busy inspecting the menu she knew off by heart. "I'll have my usual glass of Chianti, please." She said, trying to decide if she wanted manicotti or lasagne.

Nina cleared her throat and looked over at Logan. "Ummm...Veronica...I'm sorry but I can't serve you alcohol. You are under the legal drinking age."

Veronica shook her head for a moment and peered over the menu at Logan, who just shrugged at her.

"It's my ONE glass of wine a week!" She whined.

Logan gave her a pretend-serious look. "Well then, it will be here next week for you. I'm shocked that the Sherriff 's daughter would ask for alcohol while underage!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Former-Sherriff, by now. If we're going to play this little game, at least get the canon right." Veronica hissed.

Logan laughed and clapped his hands together. "Right! Both my lovely date and I will have sparkling water with lemon, Nina. Please!"

Nina laughed at the couple and shook her head as she walked away from the table. Veronica dove back behind her menu. This was definitely going to be an interesting night.

The sun was starting to make its decent in he sky, casting a beautiful orange glow over everything. Veronica kept her face towards the window, watching Neptune go by, and trying to figure out where they were going next. She felt her face heat up as Logan pulled into the parking lot at Neptune High. He coasted through and settled on a spot closer to the school and facing away from the road. As he turned off the engine, a security guard began walking through the quad, towards the car. Logan gave him a small salute and the guard smiled and nodded, then walked away.

Veronica felt the corners of her mouth twitch. She knew exactly why they were here. Slowly making eye contact, he gave her a lascivious grin. She licked her lips, her stomach beginning to get butterflies as she waited for him to make his move.

His eyes twinkled with mischief when he spoke. "We have 45 minutes before our next class. Care to kill some time with me, in my back seat, before then?" He bounced his eyebrows at her.

She felt like a cat getting ready to pounce. "I thought you would never ask." She said and scrambled over the middle console and into the back seat.

Logan slid out the front door and flung open the back door. She had already positioned herself against the far end of the backseat, one leg bent with her boot on the leather cushioning, one leg bent and down on the floor. In a swift movement, Logan slid into the back, on top of her, slamming the door shut behind him.

Veronica let out a low moan as he seized her mouth in his. Logan's body stretched across the vehicles width and she slid down the seat to conform to his torso, wrapping her legs around his waist.

An overwhelming need grew in her as they made out, all tongues and lips and teeth. Veronica felt him swell against her and she started thinking of having him inside her. She rocked herself, pushing at Logan's shoulders, so he sat up, grasping her by the ass on the way up so they were still locked at the lips, but now she was in his lap.

He let his mouth wander down to her neck and Veronica groaned as her body turned white hot. She threaded her fingers through his hair and brought her fingers together, giving his locks a slight pull. He let out a passionate curse into her skin and a call for more.

Her need for him began to become too much for her to handle and she nearly came when Logan started moving his thumb over her shirt, catching her nipple through the fabric.

Veronica remembered this pure need she had for him once upon a time, before he was in her bed every night. Pulling back from his embrace she focused on his face. The sun had almost set, and almost by magic, in the evening light, was the face of the boy she first fell in love with. Caressing his face, she ran her fingers over his round cheeks, down his chin, across his soft upper lip, and over his smooth forehead. She studied him, and he let her look upon him with younger eyes. When she finally settled on his gaze, she began to well up with emotion. The game had disappeared at some point, and they were now existing, in Veronica's mind, in this new reality.

"Make love to me, Logan. I want you to be the first person on Earth to make love to me, and someday, when we are old, I want you to be the last." She whispered.

Her words caught Logan off guard and she heard him take a shakey breath, letting her words sink deeply into his soul. "I'm so glad I waited for you, Veronica Mars" He replied, his words like a prayer of thanks on his lips. Leaning in, he planted a delicate kiss on her lips. "Let's go." He said and beamed at her.

Veronica nearly fell out of the car and onto the cement as she scrambled out and then back into her passenger seat. Looking over at the drivers side, she realized that Logan had stopped outside to text someone on his phone. She tapped her foot impatiently. "Not. Very. Romantic." She muttered to herself.

When Logan slipped back in next to her, she must have had a severe face on because he looked apologetic. "Sorry. Just planning..." He grinned and started the car.

Their ride was familiar. Over the years, some businesses on the route had changed, but the streets remained the same. Veronica knew exactly where they were going and by the time the vallet opened her door at the Neptune Grand, she felt like she was going to cry. Logan came around and put his hand on her shoulder, kissing the side of her head.

They walked through the lobby, hand in hand, and headed for the elevator. On the ride up to the penthouse, Veronica was sure that Logan could hear her heart pounding in the tiny, quiet space. When it opened on "their" floor, she hesitated momentarily. Logan stepped out into the hall and turned to offer her his hand. Fighting her tears, they walked to the door of the penthouse suite. Stopping at the entrance, she reached up and traced the brass numbers "1145", with her index finger.

Logan pulled out his wallet and produced the plastic swipe card. Wordlessly, he handed the card to Veronica. She took it from his hand, letting her fingers linger on his for a moment, her eyes catching his. She placed the card in he reader and watched the light turn green. Taking a breath, she opened the door and gasped.

The suite was awash in candlelight. Veronica felt herself float into the room, drawn to the tiny flames set up around the main space. Gone was the old glass and leather look of the room, replaced instead by soft earth tones and acrylic landscapes. She moved through the interior like a dream, everything soft and gentle. Music was playing faintly somewhere and she snapped out of her trance and turned towards the sound.

That's when she saw it; Logan's room...their room...bathed I'm candle light. She felt it's pull and as she walked closer, she realized the bed was covered in white rose petals. She paused at the entrance and she felt Logan come up behind her. Her eyes were memorizing the room - once orange and white, black and chrome – was now burgundy and rich brown, earthenware and sand.

Logan's hand shook slightly as he placed it on her hip. The contact snapped Veronica out of her head and she wove her fingers on top of Logan's. He wrapped his other hand around her waist, across her stomach, his hand touching near their joined hands. She let her head fall back against his chest as the tears that had threatened to appear finally fell from her eyes. He leaned down, kissing the side of her face, catching a tear with his lips. Letting go of his hand, she spun around and captured his lips with hers. Grasping her hips, he continued her spin until they were at the foot of the bed.

Logan gazed down on Veronica's face, watching the softness and roundness of youth appear in the candle light, her blue eyes sparkling with a lightness he hadn't seen since they were kids. Carefully, he reached down with both hands and began to unzip her hoodie. When the zipper was open, he moved his hands to her shoulders and pushed the fabric off her arms, dropping her purse with it in the process.

Veronica bit her lip and smiled shyly at him before reaching up and running her hands over his shoulders, making his jacket drop to the floor as well. She dropped her arms to her side and waited.

Logan took her shirt by the edging and she lifted her arms up. He smoothly pulled it over her head and dropped it on the ground. He gave an involuntary shudder as he gazed on her pink cotton bra, and it's contents. Veronica did the same to his t-shirt, but stopped to run her fingers gently over his puka-shells, and then down his sternum, following the trail of hair that started at his navel and ended at the top of his khakis. Hooking her fingers into the waistband, she undid his button and unzipped his fly, letting them drop to his ankles. Logan's erection strained at his boxers, and he gasped when she took her palm and cupped him through the fabric. He reached over to her and popped the button of her jeans and slowly, dragged down her zipper. He hooked his thumbs into her pockets and gently slid the tight jeans down to her ankles, kneeling in front of her as he did so.

Veronica breathing became heavy as she felt his breath on her stomach. Reverently, he put his smooth cheek to her abdomen and kissed her navel. She reached down and ran her fingers through his hair, giving a shiver of anticipation. Carefully, she began to move and he sat back on his heels as she toed off her shoes and socks and stepped out of her jeans, moving away from him slightly. He reached behind him and awkwardly yanked his shoes and socks from his feet and kicked off his pants, making Veronica smile at him. He met her smile with his own and he quickly stood, sweeping her up in his arms as he moved.

Veronica clung to Logan's neck as he gently lowered her on the bed, the rose petals kissing her skin. He shifted so he was on all fours, hovering above her, meeting her eye-to-eye.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Hey." She replied.

"I love you, Veronica Mars." He beamed at her.

She reached up and cupped his face with her hands. "I love you, Logan Echolls." She planted the softest kiss on his lips and dropped her head back. "Make love to me." She breathed.

Logan dropped his head to sweep Veronica's mouth in his. He rolled his body to the side, taking her with him and the two began exploring each other again. Veronica's hands maneuvered the deep hills and valleys of Logan's back, arms, and chest, finally settling on his cock. Logan ran his fingers gently over Veronica's curves, lingering for a moment to unsnap her bra and coax her breasts from their enclosure.

She began murmuring his name, over and over, punctuated by tiny pleadings for more. She rolled on her back to give him better access and he took his chance, dropping his hand to her mound and gently rubbing her over the cotton. She bucked in his hands, needing more, and he answered her pleading by moving his fingers past the fabric and sliding it gracefully into her wet folds.

Crying out, Veronica began undulating under him. Her hand slipped past the folds of his underwear and he let out a low growl as she began pumping his cock as she writhed. Logan dropped his head down to her breast and flicked it with her tongue causing her to cry out again with pleasure. It was almost too much pleasure, her senses and emotions overwhelmed. As if knowing her thoughts, Logan suddenly retreated from inside of her and moved away from her clutches. She let out a groan of frustration but he answered it by grasping the edge of her panties and pulling them down her legs. She wiggled and kicked them off, watching as he finally freed his cock and tossed his boxers on the ground.

Kneeling beside her, he reached for the side table and grabbed a condom from the top drawer. She watched as he rolled it over the length of himself, and she reached out and gave his cock several pumps with her fist to get him fully hard again.

Once again, Logan raised himself above Veronica, and she spread her legs, inviting him inside of her. Positioning himself so his cock was nestled in the warmth of her lips, there was a moment where they both waited, unmoving on the cusp of each other, enjoying the delicious feeling of anticipation.

Logan slid through her juices and began to bury himself deep inside. Veronica's walls were tight from the lack of intercourse and her nervousness. Slowly, Logan worked through her, both gasping at the friction and then exhaling deep moans as they connected further. Veronica shifted to accommodate him, moving her hips so her g-spot was positioned just right, and let him fully inside of her. Logan settled onto his knees and they both began moving in passionate sync with the other.

Weeks, months , years of yearning for built through them as they murmured their love for each other over and over again. Any anxiety the Veronica had was lost as she gave into the perfection of being with the only man she ever loved. Their eyes locked and Logan watched as Veronica blue eyes darkened, full of lust.

And then, just like that, her universe exploded and a million tiny stars shot from her body into the sky, spreading her passion to the heavens. Watching her come, made Logan let go, his heart exploding into a million tiny pieces a pulsing deep inside of her. He was sure he had never felt quite like this before.

Neither one wanted to be the first to move, enjoying being tied together again. Finally, Logan rolled off of Veronica and to the edge of the bed, disposing of the condom before crawling back to her. Veronica lay waiting for him and the second he was on his side, she rolled into his arms. He enveloped her with his flesh, creating a warm cocoon for her tiny body.

The tears came quickly and happily as Veronica lay pressed against her husband. She looked up to his face to find his eyes wet as well. She realized what she said in the car was true - this was the man who she wanted to make love to until they both drew their last breath. She felt her mortality and her place in the universe with this man; her best friend, her lover, her partner, her all. No matter what the future held for them, she was at peace with the fact that she would be in his arms forever. She slid up his body and kissed him gently, a tremendous grin on her face. "Best 'first time' in the history of 'first times'." She said gleefully.

"I agree." He whispered and kissed her sweetly.

They made love again a few minutes later. And again after that. And again later on. For two days, they stayed in their bed, reaffirming their love, day and night.

 _ **Chapter End Notes**_

 _ **The inspiration for the hotel scene was the song "Naked as we Came" by Iron & Wine. I highly recommend listening to it.**_


	18. Epilogue

_**Chapter Notes**_

 _ **Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting and leaving kudos on this story.**_

 _ **No plans for a follow-up but I do have some smaller pieces in the works. If you like my stuff, feel free to follow me as an author on AO3 or (EllieBear75) or on Tumblr b-lovedninja**_

 _ **Much LoVe to everyone!**_

ONE YEAR LATER...

Veronica heard squawking. She lay in bed with her eyes still closed. How did a bird get into the loft? She thought in her sleepy haze.

"I got you." Veronica heard Logan's voice, quietly, near her head.

Veronica still felt dozy. Logan caught the bird. It's fine. No need to wake up, she said to herself.

The birds sound gave way to a small cry. This time, Veronica opened her eyes to see what was going on.

The sun was coming through the shades, casting long shadows in their bedroom. Logan was standing over the new dresser on his side of the bed, his back to her. He was talking in hushed tones to the little bird on the soft covering on the top. Veronica came back to her senses. Not baby bird; Baby Mars was who he had in his hands.

She watched from her pillow as Logan quickly maneuvered their little boy into a new diaper before he got peed on. There was a little cry of annoyance as the new dad slipped the baby into a new pair of sleepers, but he managed to get him swaddled back up and on the road to content before the baby broke into a full cry.

Logan turned around towards the bed. Veronica was sure he had never been more stunningly beautiful than he was at that moment. His face was covered in thick stubble from two days in the hospital with her and he had dark purple circles under his eyes. His hair was shaggy and his sweats and muscle shirt were rumpled. Up near his shoulder, Logan carried his little doppelganger, swaddled in a gauzy blue wrap, with his two large, strong hands.

Kaeden Richard Mars came into the world with a full head of dark brown hair, a mere 7 lbs, 2 oz in weight, and a whopping 24 inches long. Veronica told everyone that the first time she held the little boy, his lip curled and he smirked at her. Logan insisted it was all the drugs and sleep deprivation that made her see that in the newborn child, but she was convinced that she had given birth to his clone. The 48 hour labour was a test of both of their patience and Veronica's endurance. And when she finally pushed him into the world at 7:14 am, Logan told anyone who would listen that it was the single most amazing thing he would ever witness in his life.

Logan bounced the griping baby softly, making small shushing sounds as he did. Veronica caught his eye and smiled. Logan's face lit up with pure joy when he saw her. "Hey! I was trying to let you sleep a bit longer, but I think he's hungry." Logan said quietly and walked to her side of the bed.

Veronica rolled on her back and shuffled her way up to sit against the headboard, groaning. A long labour, lack of sleep, and an episiotomy were catching up to her. "What time is it?" She asked as she undid the first few buttons of her pajama top.

Logan carefully brought Kaeden down onto his back and passed him to Veronica. Smelling food, the little boy's noises got louder. Veronica popped one engorged breast out of her bra and presented her nipple to the baby. He latched on hungrily, his little eyes rolling to the back of his head in milk drunk ecstasy. Logan sat near Veronica and shook his head. "7:30. His last feed was three hours ago. This boy can really pack it away. Must be the Mars gene pool."

Veronica winced as Kaeden clamped down hard on her with his gums. She adjusted the boy and he continued feeding happily. "Gotta get some traits from me, since he looks completely like you."

Logan smiled, still not taking his eyes off his wife and son. "I still can't get over the fact that you now have food coming out of you."

"Moo." Responded Veronica playfully, keeping her eyes on their son and gently petting his dark hair.

Logan chuckled. "You know what the best part about it being morning is?"

Veronica looked up at Logan and caught his eye. "The fact that Grandma and Grandpa will be here to help in an hour and a half?"

Logan's eyes danced at the thought of breakfast and a shower. "Well...there's that...but more importantly, we managed to keep Kaeden alive for his first night at home. Without help. And with me only staying awake and watching him sleep for the first few hours." He said happily.

Veronica shook her head. She always thought that she would be the overprotective parent. But Logan had not let Kaeden out of his sight for a second since he was born. He followed their child to the nursery for every check-up. He paid for a large private room so the baby could stay with them. And when the doctor explained how they would circumcise the infant, Logan's entire face turned white and he grabbed the child from the doctor, insisted that his boy was going to be uncircumcised, and walked out of the room with Kaeden to get some air.

Logan now reached over and stroked his son's head, lovingly. When they found out they were having a boy, Logan panicked at first. Thankfully, their couples therapist was able to convince him that just because Aaron abused him, did not mean that he would abuse his son. He channelled his anxiety and kept himself busy renovating the loft so there were now three enclosed rooms – one master bedroom, one nursery, and one spare room with an ensuite for when Gareth and Hunter came to visit.

"I still can't believe we made a human." Veronica said, blissfully, gazing at her husband.

Logan was positively giddy. "I know. What's up with that?"

"I love you." She whispered to Logan and looked down to see Kaeden had fallen asleep in her arms.

"I love you too." Logan replied, keeping close watch on his beautiful family.


End file.
